Development of a Solar Town in Iran

Iran's rapid industrialization progress has necessitated the development of cities and townships adjacent to the industrial complexes. The source of energy for these townships is similar to the rest of the country, and it is basically oil and natural gas. Iran is a country rich in oil, natural gas, and solar energy, and the life style of its people -- especially the majority of those drawn to these industrial towns -- is not highly energy dependent. To save on fossil fuel consumption, the country has already launched the programs to utilize other sources of energy, namely nuclear, geothermal, and solar. Development of a solar town whose total energy requirements for heating, cooling, cooking, communication, local transportation, etc., are met by solar energy, sky radiation, and other similar sources, is suggested for the first time and is a plan which can have a long-range fuel saving and ecological significance. In this solar community no hydrocarbon fuels, except for those produced through sewage and agricultural waste conversions, are to be used

Energy Sources and Uses in Iran: A Brief Review

A thorough study of the energy sources and uses in Iran is rather difficult due to the lack of accurate statistical data. The information provided by many sources do not always agree with each other and are often incomplete. In making this study, the information available were employed to construct the tables, but primarily the data that seemed to be most consistent and most complete were used to plot the curves. A more complete study of the energy picture in Iran requires much more time than was available to the writer and requires a thorough examination of the many reports and information published by the governmental and private organizations over the past several years. In this paper, background information on the geography and people are given first, followed by a brief description of energy sources and uses

Combustion of Gaseous Fuels Under Reduced-Gravity Conditions

The need for an improved understanding of fires is becoming critically important with increased space travel and utilization. While the control of fires in low-gravity environments is not well understood, it is known that buoyancy significantly affects flame behavior and characteristics. The objective of this research is to gain a more fundamental understanding of fires, and to quantify flame behavior under reduced-gravity levels. Non-premixed flames of gaseous fuels are considered in this study because they are relatively simple and easy to control, yet embody mechanisms found in all types of combustion processes ranging from uncontrolled fires to practical combustion systems. This paper presents some recent results from microgravity studies of these flames. In addition, the potential usefulness of lunar- and Martian-based laboratories is discussed in order to understand the characteristics and behavior of fires in reduced-gravity environments

Cancer registry in Iran: A brief overview

Cancer registry is an important tool for any successful cancer control program. The first formal cancer related data from Iran were published in 1956. In 1969, observations documenting a high incidence of esophageal cancer in the Caspian Littoral, urged researchers to set up the first population-based cancer registry in this region. This cancer registry was established jointly by University of Tehran and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 1976, another cancer registry started its activities in Fars Province. In 1984, the Parliament passed a bill mandating the report of all tissues "diagnosed or suspected as cancer tissue" to the Ministry of Health. While only 18% of all estimated cancer cases were reported in first reports, this rate increased to 81% in 2005 In 1998, Tehran Population-Based Cancer Registry started to collect data from cases of cancer referred to the treatment and diagnostic facilities throughout the Tehran metropolis. Digestive Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, established four new population-based cancer registries in Northern Iran and another in Kerman Province in the south. These five provinces have a total population of about 9.5 million, and constitute about 16% of the total population of Iran. While the pathology-based cancer registration is in place, we hope that the addition of the population-based cancer registries, and establishment of new registries in poorly-covered areas, will improve cancer reporting in the country

EVALUATION OF NON H. PYLORI SPIRAL ORGANISMS IN HUMAN GASTRIC BIOPSIES BY USING PCR AND MICROSCOPIC METHODS IN IRAN (FIRST REPORT)

Introduction and Objectives: The Discovery of Helicobacter pylori in 1982 increased interest in the range of other spiral bacteria that had been seen in Stomach (Marshall & Warren 1984).The power of technologies such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with genus specific primers revealed that many of these bacteria belong to the genus Helicobacter. These nonpylori helicobacters are increasingly being found in human clinical specimens. Non-pylori Helicobacters are Gram-negative, motile, long, tightly coiled, Spiral bacteria ,with three to eight coils, that cause of some gastric problems like gastritis, peptic ulceration and Mcosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) lynphoma in animals and humans. Materials and Methods: Samples taken during endoscopy were analyzed by rapid urease test, PCR and light microscope(Giemsa and Gram staining). In this study 270 samples were collected from Patients with gastric disorders. Presence of Helicobacters confirmed by a positive urease test and Helicobacter genus specific PCR method utilized. DNA was prepared from biopsies using the Qiamp tissue kit (QIAGEN Inc., Valencia, Calif.) and frozen at −20°C (like gastric samples/biopsies). DNA samples that PCR positive were amplified with 16SrRNA gene primers against Helicobacter species. Results: In gastric biopsy specimen's non-pylori helicobacter spp., have been observed. At the end of the study we found that 71% of urease tests, 0.37% of light microscopic studies (we observed some spiral gram negative bacteria with 2-7 coils) and 0.74% of PCR tests were positive. In analysis with PCR route 2 person (both of them were Male) were infected with H.heilmanniilike organisms( one of them kept a dog for 5 years as a pet).16S rRNA gene amplification was performed on 270 DNA samples and results were positive for H.heilmannii in two cases (275-bp), but negative for H.bizzozeronnii,H.felis and H. Salmonis

Intensified array camera imaging of solid surface combustion aboard the NASA Learjet

An intensified array camera was used to image weakly luminous flames spreading over thermally thin paper samples in a low gravity environment aboard the NASA-Lewis Learjet. The aircraft offers 10 to 20 sec of reduced gravity during execution of a Keplerian trajectory and allows the use of instrumentation that is delicate or requires higher electrical power than is available in drop towers. The intensified array camera is a charge intensified device type that responds to light between 400 and 900 nm and has a minimum sensitivity of 10(exp 6) footcandles. The paper sample, either ashless filter paper or a lab wiper, burns inside a sealed chamber which is filled with 21, 18, or 15 pct. oxygen in nitrogen at one atmosphere. The camera views the edge of the paper and its output is recorded on videotape. Flame positions are measured every 0.1 sec to calculate flame spread rates. Comparisons with drop tower data indicate that the flame shapes and spread rates are affected by the residual g level in the aircraft