Estimation and assessment of cost and revenue for solid waste management subsystems in Tehran city using mathematical functions

Background and Aims: The municipality of Tehran has recently attempted to implement the integrated waste management system (IWMS) with the approach of minimizing environmental emissions, the lowest cost and the maximum utilization of existing potential. The present study set out with the aim of assessingthe fixed and variable investment costs along with estimating the cost functions of its subsystems.Materials and Methods: Recorded data from September to October in 2014- 2015 were used, making arrangements well in advance. The annual waste input to each subsystems of IWMS was firstly divided into 0 to twice of input ratio. The amount of fixed and variable investment costs along with future costs were then determined considering experts’ opinions. Finally, MATLAB software version 7.1 was used in order to coding, estimating cost functions, and determining the correlation coefficient (R2) between the input and cost values.Results: The results showed that transportation subsystem allocated the maximum amount of costs (43%). Processing (23%), anaerobic digestion (12%), aerobic digestion (9%), landfilling (7%), and incineration (6%) were ranked in the next positions, respectively. Furthermore, using actual cost data based on existing capacity as well as peer reviewed experts’ data with theoretical capacity indicated that all subsystems had economic scale with high correlation coefficients.Conclusion: It is concluded that directing the waste flow from burial site to other waste processing technologies such as separation of recyclable materials, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, and incineration would result in a significant reduction in the total amount of costs.Keywords: Municipal solid waste, Waste management, Mathematical Functions, Operating cost, Unit costFor downloading the full text please click here

Evaluation of minimum cost and greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste processing and disposal centers using NSGA II algorithm

Background and Aims: Assessment of the stability of an integrated solid waste management system (ISWMS)necessitates analysis of effective criteria. The present study was therefore designed to provide a simple mathematical model to optimize ISWMS aiming at minimizing the cost and emission of greenhouse gases (GHG).Materials and Methods: In order to make use of data recorded during September to October (2014- 2015), it was necessary to make arrangements well in advance with the directors of Waste Management in Tehran. The proposed model was applied and consequently analyzed for allocation of eleven MSW components (including: paper, cardboard, plastic, nylon, metal, glass, PET, wet waste, bread, mixed recyclables and other wastes) into three sub-systems of MSW management (i.e., processing and separation, anaerobic digestion and land filling) at Abali processing and disposal center using NSGA II algorithm.Results: The results of this study indicate that the costs and emissions of GHG would be significantly reduced by increased separation rate in a municipal ISWMS. Furthermore, the identified optimum condition was 100 percent separation and processing with 486 USD (revenue) and 2438 Kg reduced CO2 (avoided emissions) representing a substantial improvement in the ascending trend rate of disposal separation.Conclusion: It seems necessary to increase daily waste entrance into Abali complex and complement the proposed system with other sub-systems concerning economic and environmental issues in order to enhance the technical feasibility of establishing such a system. On the other hand, given that transport and landfill sub-systems don’t have any positive economic and environmental issues, the flow and rate of waste allocation to these sub-systems should be followed in a carefully planned and exact way.Keywords: NSGA II algorithm, Municipal Solid Waste, Greenhouse Gases, Mathematical mode

Comparing the effect of lecture and rescue training methods with the war maneuvers on the public aid preparedness in the personnel of the navy's military barracks

Aims: Simulation is one of active learning techniques that learners are encouraged to acquire skills and knowledge. This study aimed to determine comparing the effect of lecture and rescue training methods with the war maneuvers on the public aid preparedness in the personnel of the navy's military barracks in 2014. At first, Kolmogorov Smirnov test was used to detect normal data, and independent t-test was performed for normal data, and Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were used for non-normal data to examine the proposal. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study. 132 military personnel were selected by stratified sampling and divided identically in two groups into lectures and training along with combat maneuvers. Multiple-choice test made by researcher was used to determine the level of knowledge before and after the intervention. After gathering information and bringing them into the SPSS software, version 19, data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard deviation) and inferential statistics. Results: The mean score of the subjects before and after intervention was obtained 12.81 ± 3 and 20.59 ± 3.34, respectively. The results of the comparison between the two groups before and after intervention showed that there were significant differences both lectures and practical groups (P <0.001). Moreover, both groups after intervention indicated an increased score, but the score of operation group increased more than lecture group. Conclusion: The practical training of military forces with war maneuvers has more impact than lecture training method on the amount of preparation and rescue. It is recommended to be used practical training method of military forces along with war maneuvers for military preparedness

Clinical outcomes and complications of treatment with supraflex stent in patients with coronary artery disease: One year follow up

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Prevention is often a percutaneous coronary intervention. The new generation of stents is the Sirolimus Eluting Stent. The current study was aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and complications of treatment with supraflex stent during one year follow up in patients with coronary artery disease. This cross-sectional study was performed on patients with myocardial ischemia who were candidate for angioplasty between 2017 -2018 in Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Patients were followed for four primary end points including Target lesion revascularization (TLR), stent thrombosis (ST), myocardium infarction (MI) and cardiac death (CD) for one year. Descriptive data were analyzed by Freidman at a significance level of 0.05. A total of 287 patients were enrolled in the study. There was no TLR, MI, ST and CD records in the one month follow up. Six months follow up demonstrated three TLR patients and three MI patients, but no ST and death were reported. After one year follow up, three cases of CD and four ST cases were found in patients treated with supraflex stent. Based on the Freidman test, the highest rate of TLR was revealed in a six-month follow-up when comparing with onemonth and twelve-month follow-up (p = 0.05). No significant relationship was found between the other cases. The most common complications associated with supraflex stent were TLR and MI in six-month follow-up. The most likely occurrence of CD and ST were found in one year follow up

Epidemiology, etiology and outcomes of burn patients in a referral burn hospital, Tehran

Background: Burns and its complications are regarded as a major problem in the society. Skin injuries resulted from ultraviolet radiation, radioactivity, electricity or chemicals as well as respiratory damage from smoke inhalation are considered burns. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology and outcome of burn patients admitted to Motahari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Methods: Two hundred patients with second-degree burns admitted to Motahari Referral Center of Burn in Tehran, Iran. They were studied during a period of 12 months from May 2012 to May 2013. During the first week of treatment swabs were collected from the burn wounds after cleaning the site with sterile normal saline. Samples were inoculated in blood agar and McConkey agar, then incubation at 37 °C for 48 hours. Identification was carried out according to standard conventional biochemical tests. Treatment continued up to epithelial formation and wound healing. Results of microbial culture for each patient was recorded. Healing time of the burn wounds in patients was recorded in log books. Chi-square test and SPSS Software v.19 (IBM, NY, USA) were used for data analysis. Results: Our findings indicate that the most causes of burns are hot liquids in 57 of cases and flammable liquid in 21 of cases. The most cases of burns were found to be in the range of 21 to 30 percent with 17.5 and 7 in male and female respectively. Gram-negative bacteria were dominated in 85.7 and among them pseudomonas spp. with 37.5 were the most common cause of infected burns, followed by Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter and Klebsiella spp. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the most cause of burns in both sex is hot liquid. Men were more expose to burn than women and this might be due to the fact that men are involved in more dangerous jobs than female. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common organism encountered in burn infection. © 2016, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for Persistent Epithelial Defects and Ulceration due to Pseudomonas Keratitis in a Rabbit Model

Purpose: The use of amniotic membrane has been suggested in the treatment ofinfectious keratitis for its intrinsic anti-infective properties probably mediated by its antiinflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) along with ciprofloxacin to cure the primary stages of Pseudomonas keratitis. Methods: In total, 28 rabbits were selected and divided in four groups as follows: group 1 as control, group 2 with amniotic membrane, group 3 with ciprofloxacin, and group 4 with amniotic membrane combined with ciprofloxacin. About 0.05 cc suspension of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 27853 ATCC was injected into corneal stroma. Results: The results showed groups of AMT, AMT + ciprofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin had 0% perforation while the control group had 85.6%. Average infiltration of 5.5 mm was observed in ciprofloxacin group, 5 mm in AMT + ciprofloxacin group, 24 mm in AMT group, and finally 23.75 mm for control. Amniotic membrane showed to be effective in prevention of cornea perforation as well as remission of Pseudomonas keratitis. There was no significant difference between ciprofloxacin groups in comparison with ciprofloxacin + AMT group. However, regarding the anti-inflammatory effect, the process of improvement of inflammation in ciprofloxacin + AMT group was faster. Conclusion: Transplantation of amniotic membrane in the primary stages of Pseudomonas keratitis treatment remarkably prevents the disease and it can be used to control its process

Study of Diseases Associated ESR above 100 among the Patients who Visited Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in the Second half of 2013

Introduction: ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) is the sedimentation rate of red blood cells per unit of time that is expressed in millimeters. ESR test is simple and inexpensive and fast and can be somewhat diagnostic manual to confirm the diagnosis, rule out the diagnosis, follow-up course of the disease and so on, so it is of interest to practitioners.Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study on 124 patients in all wards of Shahid Sadooghi  hospital in the second 6 months of 1393, that had raised ESR of 100 at least one time. All information including gender, age, diagnosis of the presence or absence of fever and indigenous of them cases in the archive hospital patients were taken.Results: 56% female and 44% were male. 16% of patients in the age range 0-19 years, 56% aged 20-64 years and 28% were aged over 64 years. 41% of patients were admitted with fever. 59% were native and 41 % were non-native. Infectious causes (45.9%), malignancy (14.5%), collagen vascular disease (16.9%), internal disease and hematology (16.9%) and other causes (5.6%) were formed cases. Diabetic foot (7%), pneumonia (7%), RA (6%), ESRD (5.6%), metastatic lung cancer (4%), TB (3%) formed the majority of cases.In feverish cases pneumonia (11.5%), diabetic foot (7.6%), tuberculosis (5.7%), pyelonephritis (5.7%) and RA (5.7%) were the most frequent form. Infectious causes of fever (65.3%), collagen vascular (13.4%), malignancies (5.7%) and other causes (15.6%).conclusion: In patients with extremely high sediment in terms of gender segregation is almost the same of hospital commiunity

Downregulation Of Extracellular Matrix And Cell Adhesion Molecules In Cumulus Cells Of Infertile Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Women With And Without Insulin Resistance

Objective The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the cumulus oocyte complex (COC) is composed of several molecules that have different roles during follicle development. This study aims to explore gene expression profiles for ECM and cell adhesion molecules in the cumulus cells of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients based on their insulin sensitivity following controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). Materials And Methods In this prospective case-control study enrolled 23 women less than 36 years of age who participated in an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) program. Patients were subdivided into 3 groups: control (n=8, fertile women with male infertility history), insulin resistant (IR) PCOS (n=7), and insulin sensitive (IS) PCOS (n=8). We compared 84 ECM component and adhesion molecule gene expressions by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction array (qPCR-array) among the groups. Results We noted that 21 of the 84 studied genes differentially expressed among the groups, from which 18 of these genes downregulated. Overall, comparison of PCOS cases with controls showed downregulation of extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1); catenin (cadherin-associated protein), alpha 1 (CTNNA1); integrin, alpha 5 (ITGA5); laminin, alpha 3 (LAMA3); laminin, beta 1 (LAMB1); fibronectin 1 (FN1); and integrin, alpha 7 (ITGA7). In the IS group, there was upregulation of ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 8 (ADAMTS8) and neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) compared with the controls (P<0.05). Conclusion Downregulation of ECM and cell adhesion molecules seem to be related to PCOS. Gene expression profile alterations in cumulus cells from both the IS and IR groups of PCOS patients seems to be involved in the composition and regulation of ECM during the ovulation process. This study highlights the association of ECM gene alteration as a viewpoint for additional understanding of the etiology of PCOS

Veronica plants-drifting from farm to traditional healing, food application, and phytopharmacology

The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.M.d.M.C. is grateful for funding from the “Acción 6 del Plan de Apoyo a la Investigación de la Universidad de Jaén, 2017–2019”. N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020 – Northern Regional Operational Program” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)

Investigating the Impact of Collagen-Chitosan Derived from Scomberomorus Guttatus and Shrimp Skin on Second-Degree Burn in Rats Model

Background: The present study focused on burning as one of the main causes of mortality with detrimental economic and social effects in the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of collagen-chitosan gel extracted from Scomberomorus guttatus and shrimp skin in the treatment of second degree burn healing among rats. Materials &amp; method: To fulfill the purpose of the study, chitosan and collagen were extracted respectively from shrimp and Scomberomorus guttatus skin waste by the acid-based method and were evaluated by using Pico Tag, SDS-PAGE. The burn wound healing efficiency of marine collagen-chitosan gel was examined in vivo using rats. Three different ratios of collagen and chitosan blend (Col-CH, 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1) were prepared to obtain the most effective Col-CH gel for burn wound healing and were compared to the animals treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment. Healing burn wound was studied by measuring wound surface area with Image J and histopathologic examination was carried out based on the mean of epithelialization, fibroblastic cells, acute and chronic inflammatory cells, angiogenesis, structure collagen and the amount of collagen on days 15 and 25 post-burn. Results: The results of SDS-PAGE indicated that the extracted collagen was type I and it was composed of two α (α1 and α2) chains. Amino acid analysis showed a much higher glaycin content in extracted collagen which amounted to one-third of the total amino. The wound surface measurement showed a significant reduction in wound size in the group treated with Col-CH (3:1) compared to silver-sulfadiazine treated group on 15th and 25th days. Histopathological findings represented a high score in epithelialization, collagen, collagen structure, fibroblast cell and a decrease in inflammatory cells infiltration in Col-CH (3:1) treated group on 25th day. The most obvious finding of the present study is that chitosan-collagen gel (3:1) represented a better efficacy compared to sulfadiazine in burn wound healing on day 25 post-burn. © 2021 The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicin