Measuring circularity in food supply chain using life cycle assessment : refining oil from olive kernel

Valorization of food waste is a potential strategy toward a circular food supply chain. In this regard, measuring the circularity of food waste valorization systems is highly important to better understand multiple environmental impacts. Therefore, this study investigated the circularity of a food waste valorization system (refining oil from olive kernel) using a life cycle assessment methodology. An inventory of an industrial-based olive kernel oil production system is also provided in this study. The system boundary was the cradle to the factory gate of the production system. The results indicated that natural gas consumption was the highest contributor to most of the investigated impact categories. The global warming potential of one kg of oil produced from olive kernel was calculated to be 1.37 kg CO(2)eq. Moreover, the calculated damages of 1 kg oil production from olive kernel to human health, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion were 5.29 x 10(-7) DALY, 0.12 PDF center dot m(2)center dot yr., and 24.40 MJ, respectively

Women and Literacies in Iran: A historical exploration of the late Qajar Era

Over the course of the Qajar period (1796-1925), Iran underwent multiple processes of change in the attempt to modernize the country. The two social institutions of education and gender bore unprecedented scrutiny in that era. The shift from traditional maktab literacies, which mainly centered on Islamic education, to new European-style schools marked the fundamental change in the realm of education in Iran. The centrality of education in the modernization processes was due to the perception of a causal relationship between literacy levels and, progress and democracy. For women, this educational shift involved a double-twist process. First, the epistemological questions on knowledge had to be tackled as a distinction was made between so-called Islamic and scientific or spiritual and material knowledge. On the other hand, the question of Iranian modern woman had to be faced. In this historical study, relying on sociocultural theories of literacy I locate the above educational transition in its social context. From there with the interaction model of literacy in mind, I strive to show that the literacy shift in Qajar era was neither a direct result of modernization attempts nor was it a cause for the country's development. Instead, I propose that the dynamics involved in literacy changes present a matrix pattern rather than a linear relationship. To demonstrate the inner working of this conceptual framework in the historical analysis of literacy in Iran, I present historical data from the Persian travelogues of the nineteenth century, women’s press of late Qajar Era, and the visual data of two digital historical archives. I show that maktab literacies in the nineteenth-century Iran were not merely recipients of change under the influence of modernization processes, but maktab literacies had a formative role in the formation of the modernization dilemma as well. This historical data confirms how the interaction model of literacy explains a coevolving relationship among various spheres in the society. Some elements of the social matrix in this study are the emergent technologies such as print, economic trade, and literacy practices such as travelogue reading/writing, and the collective reading of materials in social gatherings. I also presented that the main iii components of traditional maktab literacies and European-style education in Iran were not mutually exclusive

Measuring circularity in food supply chain using life cycle assessment : refining oil from olive kernel

Valorization of food waste is a potential strategy toward a circular food supply chain. In this regard, measuring the circularity of food waste valorization systems is highly important to better understand multiple environmental impacts. Therefore, this study investigated the circularity of a food waste valorization system (refining oil from olive kernel) using a life cycle assessment methodology. An inventory of an industrial-based olive kernel oil production system is also provided in this study. The system boundary was the cradle to the factory gate of the production system. The results indicated that natural gas consumption was the highest contributor to most of the investigated impact categories. The global warming potential of one kg of oil produced from olive kernel was calculated to be 1.37 kg CO(2)eq. Moreover, the calculated damages of 1 kg oil production from olive kernel to human health, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion were 5.29 x 10(-7) DALY, 0.12 PDF center dot m(2)center dot yr., and 24.40 MJ, respectively

Dietary inflammatory index in relation to severe coronary artery disease in Iranian adults

BackgroundLimited findings are available on the relationship between dietary inflammation index (DII) and severe coronary artery disease (CAD). Considering the high prevalence of CAD and its complications, we examined the relationship between DII and CAD.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 275 adults who underwent elective angiography. Severe coronary artery disease was measured by the gensini scoring system. DII was measured by a valid semi-quantitative 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Blood samples were collected after 12 h of fasting to measure serum lipid profile and quantitative C-reactive protein (q-CRP) levels. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate the odds (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsPeople in the last tertile of the DII had a higher chance of suffering from severe coronary artery disease (OR: 3.71; 95% CI: 1.97–6.98), hypercholesterolemia (OR: 2.73; 95% CI: 5.03–1.48), reduced HDL-cholesterol levels (OR: 3.77; 95% CI: 9.34–1.52), and hypertension (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 3.49–1.06) compared to people in the first tertile. After adjusting for confounding factors, the relationship remained significant. A direct and significant relationship was observed between the DII and increased q-CRP levels, which disappeared after adjusting for confounding factors in the adjusted model (OR: 2.02; 95% CI: 0.86–4.73).ConclusionThis cross-sectional study showed a direct and linear relationship between following an anti-inflammatory diet and decreasing the chance of severe CAD. Therefore, it seems necessary to implement community-based educational programs to promote healthy nutrition in order to prevent CADs

Biofilm Formation and Detection of IcaAB Genes in Clinical Isolates of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Objective(s)Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of nosocomial and community infections. Biofilm formation, mediated by a polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) and encoded by the ica operon, is considered to be an important virulence factor in both S. epidermidis and S. aureus. However, the clinical impact of the ica locus and PIA production is less well described in S. aureus. We studied biofilm formation in clinical isolates of MRSA in relation to the presence of the ica operon. Materials and MethodsForty five MRSA were studied for biofilm formation by colony morphology on Congo red agar (CRA) and the microtitre plate assay (MtP). Presence of the ica genes was detected by PCR and specific primers. ResultsThe results showed that 53.3% of the isolates had the potential to form biofilm by colony morphology of which, 75% carried the ica operon. Weak biofilm production was observed in the MtP assay by 57.8%, of which 53.8% harbored the ica operon. However, about 70% of biofilm non-producers also carried the ica operon. ConclusionOverall, there was no agreement between the icaAB gene carriage and biofilm phenotype by either of the two phenotypic methods. However, 91% of biofilm formers on CRA also produced biofilm in the MtP assay

The Effectiveness of Fordyce Happiness Group Training on Health Workers’ Job Engagement Dimensions

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Fordyce happiness training on health workers’ job engagements. The research method was semi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and control group. The samples were 28 health workers who were randomly selected from kiar’s health workers. Then they were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (n = 14) and control (n = 14). The data was collected by Utrecht job engagement Questionnaire. The experimental group participated in eight sessions of Fordyce happiness group training and control group did not receive any intervention. After the intervention, the subjects were assessed again by the Utrecht job engagement Questionnaire. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the experimental group was significantly different from the control group in job engagement dimensions. Vigor subscale, according to the average of post-test variables, was mostly increased among other subscales and Fordyce happiness training enhanced the effect size of job engagement subscales to 0.34. The findings confirmed the effectiveness of Fordyce happiness training on the enhancement of job engagement. Since interventions based on happiness can bring about changes in feelings, thoughts and behaviors; and at the same time job engagement have some dimensions like cognitive, behavioral and emotional, the results indicate that job engagement can be affected by happiness as well

Facile sonochemical heterocyclization of 2,5-dimethoxy tetrahydrofuran with primary amines using sulfonated MWCNTs as a recyclable catalyst in aqueous media

<p>A set of <i>N</i>-substituted pyrrole derivatives have been designed and synthesized using sulfonated multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a recyclable heterogeneous catalyst under ultrasound irradiation. This reaction was carried out between 2,5-dimethoxy tetrahydrofuran and primary amines in water under green conditions. This method has some advantages such as: short reaction times, excellent product yields, simplicity of the procedure, easy work-up and high purity of products.</p