Catalytic effect of Fe@Fe2O3 nanowires and Fenton process on carbamazepine removal from aqueous solutions using response surface methodology

Carbamazepine is one of the hydrophilic compounds identified in aquatic environments. Due to toxicity and bio-stability of this psychotropic pharmaceutical in the environment and humans, its removal efficiency and mineralization are important. In this study, synthesized Fe@Fe2O3 nanowires were applied to improve Fenton oxidation process using FeCl3.6H2O and NaBH4. The effects of different parameters such as initial pH, H2O2, FeSO4.7H2O, carbamazepine concentrations, oxidation time, and nanowires dose were evaluated using response surface methodology. After scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffract meter analysis, Fe@Fe2O3 morphology was synthesized in the form of nanowires with diameters of about 40-80 nm. The optimum oxidation conditions for carbamazepine were established at pH= 4.3, reaction time of 45.9 min, nanowire dose of 179.4 mg/L as well as H2O2, FeSO4.7H2O and carbamazepine concentrations of 22, 52.2 and 7.7 mg/L, respectively. The oxidation efficiency (99.5%) achieved under the optimum condition, which was determined by the model, was consistent with the efficiency predicted by the model. The multi-parameter models showed good calibration and prediction abilities with R2= 0.922, R2adj= 0.907, R2pred= 0.868. According to the results, the carbamazepine degradation rate increased with the increase of Fe2+ due to the synergistic effect between Fe@Fe2O3 and Fe2+ on the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 and generation of OH•. It was concluded that the Fenton process based on the Fe@Fe2O3 nanowires can increase the carbamazepine oxidation rate in aqueous solutions. This method can also be used as an effective and pre-treatment process in the conventional treatment plants

Simultaneous Analysis of Mycotoxins, Potentially Toxic Elements, and Pesticides in Rice: A Health Risk Assessment Study

Rice is a widely consumed food worldwide; however, it can be a source of pollutants, such as potentially toxic elements (PTEs), mycotoxins, and pesticides. Sixty rice samples imported from Pakistan (PAK), India (IND), and Thailand (THAI), as well as domestic Iranian (IRN) rice, were collected from Bushehr, Iran, and investigated for the contamination of PTEs, including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni); pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, trichlorfon, diazinon, fenitrothion, and chlorothalonil; mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), and deoxynivalenol (DON); and molds. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) of pollutants and hazard index (HI) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of rice types for the Iranian adult population were calculated. The content of PTEs in Iranian rice was not higher than Iran’s national standard limits. In contrast, other types of rice (imported) had at least one PTE above the permissible level. OTA content was below the detection limit, and all other mycotoxins were within the allowable range in all rice types. Thai rice was the only group without pesticides. The HI order of rice types was as follows: HIPAK = 2.1 > HIIND = 1.86 > HIIRN = 1.01 > HITHAI = 0.98. As was the biggest contributor to the HI of Iranian and Thai rice, and diazinon in the HI of Pakistani and Indian rice. The calculation of ILCR confirmed that the concentrations of Ni and Pb in Pakistani and Ni and As in Indian, Thai, and Iranian rice were not acceptable in terms of lifetime carcinogenic health risks. © 2023 by the authors

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf>/Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8–22.5 and 36–75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R2 = 0.9981–0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60% to 109.22% with the RSDs less than 8%. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe3O4/Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe3O4/Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe3O4/Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 201

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8�22.5 and 36�75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R2 = 0.9981�0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60 to 109.22 with the RSDs less than 8. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe3O4/Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe3O4/Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe3O4/Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 201

Knowledge translation in Iranian universities: Need for serious interventions

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the status of knowledge translation (KT) in Iranian medical science universities in order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the most important organizations responsible for producing knowledge in the country.Methods: The KT activities were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively in nine universities using the Self-Assessment Tool for Research Institutes.Results: The strengths and weaknesses of universities were determined using seven main themes: priority setting; research quality and timeliness; researchers' KT capacities; interaction with research users; the facilities and prerequisites of KT; the processes and regulations supporting KT; and promoting and evaluating the use of evidence.The quantitative and qualitative results showed that the Iranian universities did not have an appropriate context for KT. There were significant shortcomings in supportive regulations, facilities for KT activities, and the level of interaction between the researchers and research users.Conclusions: The shortcomings in KT were mostly in the area of stewardship and policymaking (macro level), followed by planning and implementation at the universities. In order to strengthen KT in Iran, it should occupy a prominent and focused role in the strategies of the country's health research system. © 2013 Gholami et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8�22.5 and 36�75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R 2 = 0.9981�0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60 to 109.22 with the RSDs less than 8. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe 3 O 4 /Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 2018 The Author

Sex determination using mandibular anthropometric parameters in subadult Iranian samples

Introduction: Sex determination is the first step in the identification of corpses and skeletal remains. The mandible is the largest and strongest bone of the face and has high durability. It is known that skeletal features vary by population, thus the need to establish population-specific standards. In this study, for the first time, we investigated mandibular anthropometric parameters for sex determination in subadult Iranian cadavers. Methods: Eight mandibular anthropometric parameters were measured in 45 Iranian cadavers below the age of 20 (23 males and 22 females corpses), and the relationships of these variables with gender were determined. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, ROC curve, cross tabulation and discriminant analysis in SPSS 13. Results: No significant statistical difference was seen in the mandibular anthropometric values between the two genders in samples below the age of 12. In the 12-19 age group, accuracy of symphysial height and bigonial breadth in differentiation of gender was 69 and 86.2 respectively. Conclusion: Although mandibular anthropometric parameters are not helpful in sex determination below the age of 12, if for some reasons such as explosions, air disasters and other accidents, only the mandible is available, symphysial height and mandibular bigonial breadth could be used to determine the gender with high accuracy. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved

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New autocorrelation QTMS-based descriptors for use in QSAM of peptides

The autocorrelation analysis of the quantum topological molecular similarity (QTMS) has been used to discover some new indices for amino acids. QTMS descriptors include both physical and topological property molecules and produce a matrix of variables per molecule. To handle cubic array of QTMS descriptor calculated for a list of 20 naturally occurring amino acids, autocorrelation analysis has been performed. The proposed indices were validated by construction of quantitative sequence-activity model for three sets of peptides with different chain sizes. Modeling procedure used genetic algorithm-partial least square as variable selection and regression tools. The obtained models were of better or similar qualities compared with previously reported models for the same data sets. Also, the proposed indices in this article were able to determine active site region of the peptides under study