Development of an extrudable paste to build mycelium-bound composites

Mycelium-bound composites are promising materials for sustainable packaging, insulation, fashion, and architecture. However, moulding is the main fabrication process explored to date, strongly limiting the ability to design the complex shapes that could widen the range of applications. Extrusion is a facile and low energy-cost process that has not yet been explored for mycelium-bound composites with design freedom and structural properties. In this study, we combine cheap, easily and commonly available agricultural waste materials, bamboo microfibres, chitosan, and mycelium from Ganodermalucidum, to establish a composite mixture that is workable, extrudable and buildable. We study the impact of bamboo fibre size, chitosan concentration, pH and weight ratio of bamboo to chitosan to determine the optimum growth condition for the mycelium as well as high mechanical stiffness. The resulting materials have thus low energy costs, are sustainable and can be shaped easily. The developed composition is promising to further explore the use of mycelium-bound materials for structural applications using agricultural waste

A survey on some risk factors and evaluation of their impacts on streptococcosis in rainbow trout farms in some provinces in Iran (Mazandaran, Fars)

One of the most important bacterial fish diseases which has caused some outbreaks in rainbow trout farms in Iran is streptococcusis. The farmers were suffering from huge economic losses due to the disease outbreaks in different rainbow trout farms in Iran. The aim of our study was to determine rate of streptococcusis incidence in different stage of growth in farmed rainbow trout in Mazandaran and Fars province. Fish and water samples were randomly collected and measured randomly in selected farms, monthly throughout a year. After clinical observations, Isolation and recognition of strep strains were made using biochemical and molecular tests. Some Environmental factors include Nitrate, Nitrite, Temperature, pH, Ammonia and DO measure during sampling periods. According to our results incidence of disease in juvenile is more than growers. Some samples showed clinical signs of streptococcusis without strep. contamination. Main isolated strain were S. iniae and S. garviea and S. uberis recognized for first time in east of Mazandaran province (Haraz River). Incidence of streptococcusis in rainbow trout affected by fluctuation of Nitrite, temperature and DO. Management of these factors can decrease rate of disease outbreaks

Floristic, life form and chorological studies of the Abshar protected area, Shirgah, Mazandaran Province, north of Iran

The Abshar protected area with 3639 ha and an altitude ranging from 400-855 m a.s.l. is one of the forest areas that due to its topography is covered by Carpinus betulus, Parrotia persica and Diospyros lotus speices. The floristic study of this area is long with sampling plots. The floristic-physiognomic investigation showed that flora of this region included 99 plant species which belonged to 81 genera and 49 families. The largest family was Rosaceae with 10 species. Classification based on life form spectrum indicated that geophytes (31.31%), phanerophytes (29.29%), hemicryptophytes (25.25%) and therophytes (14.14%) comprise the plants in the studied area. The results of chorological studies showed that the chorotype form Euro-Siberian elements (32 taxa, 32.32%) were the most important phytochorion in this area. Long period of wetness during the growing season and relatively high annual precipitation are the reasons of the high proportion of geophytes existence in the studied area. Phytogeographical comparison of the Abshar protected forest and the other forests in north of Iran identified two peaks in phytochoria curves, one in Euro-Siberian and the other one is in the Pluriregional elements

The utilitarian aspect of the philosophy of ecology: The case of corporate social responsibility

This study aims to combine the philosophical perspective and the practical ethics of ecology in the everyday with a more pragmatic concept of corporate social responsibility. The importance of the latter is shown to be based in the abandonment of the distinction of subject and object and the development of personal as well as cultural ecological consciousness embedded in the notion of unity between man and nature. This philosophical shift in the consciousness is also reflected in terms of utility. Hence, the study examines whether the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firm’s sales growth is mediated by competitive advantage, and whether employees’ individual perception in the everyday and beliefs of social responsibility can play a moderating role on CSR-sales growth relationship. The analysis revealed that there is the link between CSR and sales growth and that there is a positive effect of CSR on sales growth which is positively moderated by employees’ individual beliefs of social responsibility which has been implied by the ecological consciousness

Colourants on the wall paintings of a mediӕval fortress at the mount Sofeh in Isfahan, central Iran

Colourants on the twelfth century wall paintings excavated at the fortress located on the mount Sofeh in Isfahan, central Iran, were analysed using micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), micro Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadropole time-of-flight (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF). The results of the analyses showed that gypsum, atacamite, carbon black, orpiment and ultramarine blue were used as white, green, black, yellow and blue pigments, respectively. Moreover, three red colourants including red lead, red vermilion and madder red were identified in the wall paintings. Furthermore, possible sources for the colourants are discussed

Comparing fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth using different preparation-obturation combinations

Background: One of the main reasons for extraction of endodontically treated teeth is vertical root fracture (VRF). Some factors such as root canal treatment are involved in vertical root fracture because of their potential to weaken the tooth structure. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of combining different obturation materials and rotary systems on the fracture resistance of treated teeth. Methods: Eighty extracted maxillary central incisors were selected. The coronal portions of all teeth were removed at the cemento-enamel junction leaving the root segment of nearly 13 mm length. Roots were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the system used in root canal preparations, Group I: ProTaper, Group Π: Wave 1. Each main group was further subdivided into 2 equal subgroups according to the obturation system being used, Subgroup A: ProTaper, AH26 obturator, Subgroup B: ProTaper, Bioceramic, Subgroup C: Wave 1, AH26 obturator and Subgroup D: Wave 1, Bioceramic. Fracture resistance of each sample was measured by loading in universal testing machine. The results were analyzed with two- way ANOVA followed by multiple comparison Tukey HSD test. Results: The highest mean fracture resistance value (256.7N) was associated with Soft- Core/AH26 obturation and wave one (subgroup C), while the lowest value (239.8N) was for Bioceramic sealer and Wave 1 (subgroup D); however, there was no statistical significant difference (P>0.05) among all tested subgroups. Conclusion: All instrumentation techniques caused weakening of the root structure and made them susceptible to fiacture without any significant difference and therefore alternative strategies should be considered to reinforce endodontically treated roots. © 2019, Kerman University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Relative efficiency analysis of container ports in Middle East using DEA

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative efficiency of major container ports in the Middle East between the years 2011-2013. The required information was collected from scientific resources. The input and output data was collected from the statistical yearbook of the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization and the official website of each of the foreign ports. Firstly, in this study the relative efficiency of the ports was evaluated via a basic model of the DEA-technique, namely BCC-O. Afterwards, the ports were ranked based on the achieved results. To rank ports with 100% efficiency, the Anderson-Peterson method was used. Based on the results of the output-oriented CCR model that represents the overall technical efficiency, the port of Khorafkan has the highest coefficient of efficiency and Bandar-e-Imam Khomeini was the weakest port in this respect. The average efficiency of the studied ports was 54.3% in the period under study. Finally, virtual ports were proposed as a template for inefficient ports to improve efficiency

Application of exploratory factor analysis method in the evaluating the competitiveness of port services

This applied research has been conducted to evaluate the competitiveness of port services using exploratory factor analysis and importance- performance analysis methods. First, by studying the ports competiveness literatures, 53 indicators of competitiveness of port services has been identified, And to reduce the number of variables affecting the competitiveness of ports and the formation of a new structure for them (Based on the correlations between variables), exploratory factor analysis method was used. Based on the obtained results from 53 identified indicators, in the factor analysis, only 27 of indicator have loadings on the eight factors of Logistics Cost, Connectivity, Port facility, Port Service and Availability, Safety and security, Efficiency and Productivity, Reliability, Hinterland condition. The obtained results from confirmatory factor analysis in this study showed that, among the eight factors, factors of Logistics Cost and factors of Connectivity have greatest influence on the port competitiveness. And factors of Reliability and factors of Hinterland condition have least influence on the port competitiveness. And also the results of the importance and performance analysis showed that among of eight factors, respectively efficiency and productivity factor has the highest and Hinterland condition has the lowest the difference between the performance averages from importance average. And also the Position of each factor in the quarters of the importance and performance matrix indicates that other than the second factor (Connectivity) and fifth factor (Safety and Security) all other factors located in a quarter one. Thus it can be concluded that the services of studies port from the perspective of located factors in quarter one (logistics costs, port facilities, port services, productivity and efficiency, reliability and the Hinterland) has a low performance And needs performance improvement according to their importance

Identification and ranking of causes of delay in container handling operation by TOPSIS method

This applied research has been conducted to identify and rank the causes of delay in container handling operation in two stages. In the first, having considered the daily census of container handling operation in the pertinent terminal of the port, As well, brain storming cessions attended by experts from the studied container terminals were held during which twenty seven numbers of causes of delay were detected. In the second stage, having considered the detected factors from the first stage, the probability of the causes occurrence, the extent of impact of causes on process after their occurrence and probability of causes detection before having effect on process have been determined by experts in form of a scale ranging from one to ten, Finally based on the obtained scores by each one of the causes, the decision matrix was formed and the mentioned causes were ranked by TOPSIS method. The abstained results showed that the causes of delays in loading and unloading operations in studied container terminals have significant different in the terms of probability of the causes occurrence, the extent of impact of causes on process after their occurrence and probability of causes detection before having effect on process. Finally to mitigation of these causes several strategies have been presented