The concerns of the shipping industry regarding the application of electronic bills of lading in practice amid technological change

In the sea trade, the traditional paper-based bill of lading has played an important role across the globe for centuries, but with the advent of advanced commercial modes of transportation and communication, the central position of this document is under threat. The importance of the bill of lading still prevails as does the need of the functions that this document served in the past, although in a changed format. In the recent past, the world has witnessed a lot of debate about replacing this traditional paper-based document with an electronic equivalent that exhibits all of its functions and characteristics, both commercial and legal. More specifically, unlike many rival travel documents, such as the Sea Waybill, a bill of lading has two prominent features, that is to say, its negotiability and its acceptability as a document of title in certain legal jurisdictions that are required to be retained in an electronic bill of lading so as to also retain the prominence of this document in the future landscape. This thesis is, however, more concerned about the legal aspects of adopting the electronic bill of lading as a traditional paper-based legal document as well as an effective legal document in the present age. However, the scope of this debate remains primarily focused on the USA and UK jurisdictions. In the course of this thesis, it is observed that, in the past, the bill of lading has been subject to a variety of international regimes, such as The Hague Rules and The Hague-Visby Rules, and presently efforts are being made to arrive at a universal agreement under the umbrella of The Rotterdam Rules, but such an agreement is yet to arrive among the comity of nations. On the other hand, efforts made by the business community to introduce an electronic bill of lading are much louder and more evident. The private efforts, such as the SeaDocs System, CMI Rules, and the BOLERO Project, etc., were, however, received by the fellow business community with both applause as well as suspicion. At the same time, there are a number of concerns voiced by the international business community on the legislative adoptability in national and international jurisdictions and the courts’ approach in adjudicating cases involving electronic transactions and these are making the task of adoption of electronic bill of lading in the sea-based transactions a difficult task. Therefore, in the absence of any formal legal backing from national and international legislations, these attempts could not achieve the desired results. In this thesis, the present situation of the acceptability of electronic transactions in general, and of the electronic bill of lading specifically, has also been discussed with reference to certain national jurisdictions, such as Australia, India, South Korea and China, in order to present comparative perspectives on the preparedness of these nations. On the regional level, the efforts made by the European Union have also been discussed to promote electronic transactions within its jurisdiction. All the discussion, however, leads to the situation where the level of acceptability of electronic bill of lading in the near future is found to be dependent upon the official efforts from the national governments and putting these efforts towards arriving at an agreement on Rotterdam Rules as early as possible. The other area of importance revealed in this thesis is the need for change in juristic approach by the courts while interpreting and adjudicating upon cases involving electronic transactions. On the whole, this thesis has provided a cohesive and systematic review, synthesis and analysis of the history of the bill of lading, its importance as a document of title, and attempts to incorporate its important functions within the fast-paced electronic shipping commerce of today. In such a way it has provided a valuable contribution to the literature by providing a comprehensive resource for jurists, policy-makers and the business community alike, as they work towards adapting the bill of lading so that it might be successfully applied in electronic form.

Protecting River Environment through Proper Management of Material Mining by Matrix Method (Case Study of A'la River in Iran)

Regarding the importance of rivers, appropriate management of aggregate mining is of great significance. Mining of river materials has a direct impact on environmental conditions of the river. Today, aggregate mining management represents a crucial topic in river engineering. Often selected based on the pattern of the considered river, matrix method provides a suitable approach to improve the river aggregate mining management. The present research aims at presenting the application of the matrix method in river material mining location evaluation. Given the capabilities of the matrix method for determining potential of mine area and aggregate mining method, this method can be seen as a suitable solution for reducing negative environmental impacts of river material mining. A'la River is one of the most important rivers streaming in Khouzestan Province (Iran), with its sediment load and mining potential being of critical importance. In this research, the reach of A'la River at the intersection of Rood-Zard River and Rahmhormoz diversion dam was studied for aggregate mining and application of matrix method. The main purpose of this work is to study the application of matrix method to A'la River. The results indicate braided pattern of the river and appropriateness of the matrix method. Available volume of aggregate for mining within the mentioned reach of A'la River was estimated as 50,000 m3, and scraping method at a maximum depth of 1 m was proposed for mining of the aggregates

Photocatalytic removal of naphthalene (C10H8 ) from aqueous environments using sulfur and nitrogen doped titanium dioxide (TiO2 -N-S) coated on glass microbullets in presence of sunlight

Background and aims: Due to their toxicity and carcinogenic effects, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene (C10H8 ) are regarded as hazardous compounds for both humans and the environment, and it is essential to remove these contaminants from the environment. The present study aimed to remove naphthalene from a synthetic aqueous environment using sulfur and nitrogen doped titanium dioxide (TiO2 -N-S) nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized on glass microbullets under sunlight. Methods: In this experimental study, TiO2 -N-S NPs were synthesized using sol-gel process. The structure of NPs was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and differential reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). In addition, using statistical analyses, the effects of parameters such as the initial concentration of naphthalene, pH, contact time, and the optimal conditions on naphthalene removal were investigated. Results: XRD patterns and SEM images of the samples confirmed the size of synthesized particles in nanometer. The EDX and DRS spectra analysis showed the presence of two elements (sulfur and nitrogen) and the optical photocatalytic activity in the visible region, respectively. The maximum level of naphthalene removal in the presence of sunlight was obtained to be about 93.55% using a concentration of 0.25 g of thiourea immobilized on glass microbullets at pH=5 and contact time of 90 minutes. Conclusion: The rate of naphthalene removal using the immobilized TiO2 -N-S on glass microbullets was 93.55% in optimal conditions. Therefore, this method has an effective potential for naphthalene removal, and can be used to remove naphthalene from industrial wastewater. Keywords: Sunlight, Aromatic hydrocarbons, Naphthalene, Glass microbullets, TiO2 -N-S nanoparticle

Survey of Cryptosporidium parasite infection in poultry farms around Tabriz

Cryptosporidium is a genus of apicomplexan protozoa that can cause enteric infection or respiratory form of infection with up to 10% mortality in broiler flocks  .In the respiratory forms up to 50% of a flock may show clinical signs. In addition to the direct economic effects of the clinical disease, the damage caused to the immune system and interaction with other pathogens such as IBD virus has significant effects.  In the present study, 400 fecal samples from 20 broiler farms were prepared and examined. Based on our results, cryptosporidium infection was seen in 2 of 20 studied farms. Infection rate in two farms were 40% and 65% respectively. According to these results and other studies, cryptosporidium infection could be an important problem in poultry farms and it is necessary to carry out further studies about cryptosporidium infection in poultry farms

Sulfur and nitrogen doped -titanium dioxide coated on glass microspheres as a high performance catalyst for removal of naphthalene (C10H8) from aqueous environments using photo oxidation in the presence of visible and sunlight

Naphthalene is a toxic aromatic compound whose presence in aqueous environments is very hazardous. In this research, naphthalene removal from wastewater using titanium dioxide-nitrogen-sulfur (TiO2-N-S) photocatalyst immobilized on glass microspheres was investigated. Additionally, the effect of visible and sunlight, radiation time, pH, and initial concentration of naphthalene on photocatalytic removal of naphthalene were studied. Scanning electron microscope images revealed nanoparticles with an average size between 10 and 15 nm, and X-ray diffraction pattern revealed nano-photocatalyst with an average size of 11 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray showed the presence of two elements, that is, sulfur and nitrogen in the crystalline structure of TiO2 powder, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed the energy bandgap narrowing and transfer of photocatalytic activity of TiO2-N-S to the visible region. Chemical kinetic equation of naphthalene removal was second-order kinetic. The maximum level of naphthalene removal in the presence of visible and sunlight was obtained at a concentration of 25 mg/L (94.29%) and 40 mg/L (93.24%), respectively. Therefore, the immobilized TiO2-N-S on glass microspheres can be used as a new, effective, and functional method in treating water and industrial wastewater containing naphthalene in the presence of visible and sunlight

Zastosowanie globalnych doświadczeń w ocenie strefy wydobycia: Przypadek rzeki Zohreh

The materials mining from rivers have a variety of negative and positive effects. Currently, one of the most important issues in river engineering is the proper management of materials mining. In this research, global experiences and international standards for managing sand and gravel mining have been applied to evaluate the mining area in the Zohreh River in Khuzestan province (Iran). One of the evaluation methods in this field is the river matrix method. In this method, which is defined on the basis of river pattern, river characteristics such as river size, site location of materials, associated channel and type of deposit are being considered. In this research, a segment of the Zohreh River between Sardasht Zeydun bridge and Mohseniyeh village in which has good potential for gravel mining was selected and evaluated for river characteristics, mining potential and application of river matrix method. The study indicates that the Zohreh River has a braided pattern in the range. The volume of sediment materials in the target area is about 10 000 m3, the length and width of the mining area are 125 and 80 m respectively, and surface extraction with a maximum depth of 1 m was recommended for extraction of materials. At the end of the research, management solutions and solutions for mining of river materials were presented using various standards.Pozyskiwanie materiału rzecznego niesie ze sobą wiele negatywnych i pozytywnych skutków. Obecnie jednym z głównych problemów inżynierii rzecznej jest właściwe zarządzanie wydobyciem materiałów. W badaniach wykorzystano globalne doświadczenie i międzynarodowe standardy wydobycia piasku i żwiru do oceny obszaru eksploatacji w rzece Zohreh w prowincji Khuzestan (Iran). Jedną z metod oceny jest metoda macierzowa. W metodzie tej, którą definiuje się na podstawie układu rzeki, bierze się pod uwagę takie cechy rzeki, jak: wielkość, lokalizacja materiału, kanały boczne i rodzaj depozytu. Do badań wybrano odcinek rzeki Zohreh pomiędzy mostem Sardasht Zeydun a wsią Mohseniyeh, gdzie istnieją duże możliwości wydobycia żwiru. Oceniono właściwości rzeki, potencjał wydobywczy i zastosowanie metody macierzowej. Badania wykazały, że rzeka Zohreh na badanym odcinku ma układ wielokorytowy. Objętość materiału osadowego na badanym obszarze wynosi ok. 10 000 m3, długość i szerokość terenu wydobywczego to odpowiednio 125 i 80 m, a zalecana maksymalna głębokość wydobycia materiału wynosi 1 m. W podsumowaniu badań przedstawiono rozwiązania w zakresie wydobycia materiałów rzecznych z uwzględnieniem różnych standardów

Investigation of the Accidents Recorded at an Emergency Management Center Using the Pareto Chart: A Cross-Sectional Study in Gonabad, Iran, During 2014-2016

Background: This study investigated the accidents recorded at the Gonabad Hospital Management Center for Hospital Management from 2014 to 2016, and identified important causes or parameters that influenced the incidence of accidents using the Pareto chart. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and analytic study examined 25,414 incidents recorded at the Gonabad Hospital Management Center. The key variables such as the types of accident, age, time, types of lesion, and treatment, were collected for transport and non-transport accident. Data analysis was performed using Pareto chart as well as Minitabver v.16 and SPSS v.21 software. Results: Based on the results, the highest rate of the accidents (39.79%) were among people aged between 0-10 years. Transport accidents (17.61%) and heart attacks (10.92%) were the most common that occurred during the study. The spring had the highest rate of accidents, while the winter had the lowest. Conclusion: Transportation accidents had the highest rate of incidents and injuries; therefore, the safety of transportation and vehicles should be taken more seriously