USCID fourth international conference

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.Includes bibliographical references.Application of different irrigation management practices plays a considerable role in water saving to achieve potential yields. On the other hand, network water distribution schedule is a governing factor in this regard. In current study conducted in Mahabad plain in North West of Iran, four different irrigation managements on sugarbeet cultivation including traditional farmer's management, Furrow Deepening, Reduced Discharge per Deepened Furrow, and Alternate Furrow Irrigation have been studied in real farmers' fields measuring 10.2 hectares. Participatory management approach has been used while working in farmers' fields. Soils textures are silty clayey. Results of studies indicate that water used has been reduced considerably while higher root and sugar yields are obtained due to better on-farm water management practices. Water Use Efficiency, in kg of yield per m3 of water used, increased considerably under alternate furrow irrigation management in comparison to what obtained under traditional management. Results show application of alternate furrow irrigation in sugarbeet cultivation not only resulted in lesser water use per hectare, but also it increased both root and sugar yields and, consequently, higher water use efficiency was obtained. Assessments have been made on irrigation schedule imposed by the irrigation network and its effects on actual water requirements. Results show that the delivery schedule practiced in the network in incapable of delivering the actual amount of water requirement for the dominant crop of the scheme. Suggestions are made to the network operator to improve overall network efficiency including revisions on water resources planning and allocation and/or improve network operation system

Association of the Myocilin Gene Polymorphism With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second cause of irreversible blindness, and the Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) subtype is the most common type of glaucoma. It has been shown that genetic mutations increase the risk of POAG used for early detection. The aim of the current study was to determine the association between genetic variations of Myocilin (MYOC) gene and susceptibility to POAG in the Iranian population. This case-control study was conducted on patients with POAG, referred to Khatam-al Anbia Eye Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The control group was selected from healthy patients with a refractive disorder, who had referred to this hospital. After extracting the DNA from the whole blood sample, the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphisms (PCR-SSCP) method was used to discriminate variability in sequences in three exons of MYOC gene locus, known as GLC1A. Clinical characteristics of the subjects, comprised of visual acuity, Cup to Disc Ratio (CDR), and Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) were statistically compared between the wild and mutant type of the MYOC gene using independent samples t-test, Chi-square, and logistic regression test with SPSS version 15.0 software. P-values of < 0.05 were considered significant. One hundred and forty participants (75.1% males) were studied in two groups of case (n = 70) and control (n = 70). The frequency of mutant alleles in patients and healthy groups was statistically significant (40% versus 11.5%, Odd’s Ratio (OR): 5.1, CI 95% for OR: 2.1 to 12.4, P-value < 0.001). Also, the detected mutation in the case group was significantly higher in exon 1 and 3 (15.7% versus 0%, P-value = 0.001, and 11.5% versus 2.8%, P-value = 0.049, respectively). Based on the result of the current study, it seems that the MYOC gene polymorphisms increased the risk of POAG in the Iranian population

Efficiency evaluation of AspergillusTerreus in the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions:Isotherm and kinetic studies

Background and Aims: Chromium (VI) is one of the very toxic heavy metals and is known as a carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic agent. In this study, the ability of dead Aspergillus Terreus fungus biomass in the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions was investigated.Materials and Methods: The suspension of AspergillusTerreus was cultivated in Potato Dextrose Agar and Potato Dextrose Broth mediums. The biomass was then boiled in 0.5 N NaOH solution. The ability of obtained biomass to absorb Chromium (VI) was studied with respect to various variables including time (15 to 120 min), pH (3 to 11), chromium (VI) concentration (20 to 120 mg/L) and absorbent dosage (0.1 to 0.8 g). Chromium concentration was determined using an atomic absorption of. All ethical issues and citations were taken into consideration in conducting the study.Results: Results showed that the maximum removal of chromium (89%) was obtained at contact time 90 min, pH=7, chromium concentration 20 mg/L and adsorbent dosage 0.6 g. The adsorption isotherm was best fitted by Freundlich with a high correlation coefficient (R2=0.952). Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics fitted well to the pseudo-first-order model with a correlation coefficient of 0.9775.Conclusion: The results of present study indicated that the studied variables have an incredible effect on sorption efficiency, as in the optimum condition, the biomass of AspergillusTerreus obtained an acceptable efficiency and adoration capacity compared to other adsorbents. So, this compound can be introduced as a practical natural adsorbent for chromium removal and also other heavy metals form aqueous solutions.Keywords: Aqueous solutions, AspergillusTerreus, Chromium (VI), Adsorption Proces

Estimation of the Active Network Size of Kermanian Males

Background: Estimation of the size of hidden and hard-to-reach sub-populations, such as drug-abusers, is a very important but difficult task. Network scale up (NSU) is one of the indirect size estimation techniques, which relies on the frequency of people belonging to a sub-population of interest among the social network of a random sample of the general population. In this study, we estimated the social network size of Kermanian males (C) as one of the main prerequisites for using NSU. Methods: A 500 random sample of Kermanian males between 18 and 45 years old were interviewed. We asked the size of their active networks using direct questions. In addition, we received the frequency of six names from the vital registry office among Kermanian males, and we estimated C indirectly using the received frequencies and the frequency of these names among the networks of our sample. Findings: Although different methods showed quite different Cs between 100 and 350, the best estimation for C was 303, which means that on average each Kermanian male knows around 303 males between the age range of 18 and 45 years. The estimated C did not have any strong association with the demographic variables of our subjects. Conclusion: Using the estimated C we may use the NSU technique to assess the frequency of many important hidden sub-populations such as drug-abusers and those who have sexual contact with men and women. Keywords: Size estimation, Social network, Networking, Addiction, Hidden population, Hard to reach population

Association of the Myocilin Gene Polymorphism With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second cause of irreversible blindness, and the Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) subtype is the most common type of glaucoma. It has been shown that genetic mutations increase the risk of POAG used for early detection. The aim of the current study was to determine the association between genetic variations of Myocilin (MYOC) gene and susceptibility to POAG in the Iranian population. This case-control study was conducted on patients with POAG, referred to Khatam-al Anbia Eye Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The control group was selected from healthy patients with a refractive disorder, who had referred to this hospital. After extracting the DNA from the whole blood sample, the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphisms (PCR-SSCP) method was used to discriminate variability in sequences in three exons of MYOC gene locus, known as GLC1A. Clinical characteristics of the subjects, comprised of visual acuity, Cup to Disc Ratio (CDR), and Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) were statistically compared between the wild and mutant type of the MYOC gene using independent samples t-test, Chi-square, and logistic regression test with SPSS version 15.0 software. P-values of < 0.05 were considered significant. One hundred and forty participants (75.1% males) were studied in two groups of case (n = 70) and control (n = 70). The frequency of mutant alleles in patients and healthy groups was statistically significant (40% versus 11.5%, Odd’s Ratio (OR): 5.1, CI 95% for OR: 2.1 to 12.4, P-value < 0.001). Also, the detected mutation in the case group was significantly higher in exon 1 and 3 (15.7% versus 0%, P-value = 0.001, and 11.5% versus 2.8%, P-value = 0.049, respectively). Based on the result of the current study, it seems that the MYOC gene polymorphisms increased the risk of POAG in the Iranian population

Investigation of Some Qualitative Characteristics of Sludge Produced in Hamadan Wastewater Treatment Plant and Its Application in Agricultural Lands

In this study, qualitative characteristics of the sludge produced in Hamadan wastewater treatment plant and the feasibility of its application in agricultural lands were investigated. Samples were taken from the primary and secondary sludge and indices such as VS/TS, PH, TKN, COD, TKN, SOUR, Na, Ca, SAR, heavy metals and biological properties (the mean fecal coliform count and the number of parasitic eggs) were measured. The results were compared with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) standards (40 FCR-503). The results showed that the VS/TS ratio of the raw sludge was 0.8, 0.55, and 0.55 and that of the secondary sludge was 0.65, 0.28, and 0.32 for fall, winter, and summer, respectively. The average concentration of COD, TKN, SOUR, Na, and Ca for the initial sludge was 51283, 107, 0.50, 609, and 952 and for secondary sludge, it was 35595, 81, 4.90, 306, and 493 mg/L, respectively. The MPN for primary and secondary sludge was determined to be 19.83 × 106 and 186 × 106 , respectively and the average number of parasite eggs in primary and secondary sludge was 7.05 and 7.2 in 4 g of dry solids. Entamoeba coli had the highest number of parasite. The results of this study showed that the highest concentration of heavy metals in the sludge was 21396 mg/kg. The values obtained for the above-mentioned indices and heavy metals were in standards range. The results of this study show that none of the primary and secondary sludge samples has been properly stabilized. The values obtained for biological characteristics of sludge were not in the standard range. Therefore, it was revealed that the use of sludge for agriculture needed more stabilization

Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma-associated Genetic Polymorphisms in Northeast Iran

Purpose: To evaluate the association of five different polymorphisms from a genomewide- associated study with susceptibility to glaucoma in the northeast Iranian population. Methods: Hundred and thirty patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) and 130 healthy controls were genotyped for the polymorphic regions with the aid of tetraamplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction. The association of these variants with the disease susceptibility was measured statistically with the logistic regression method. Results: Hundred and thirty patients with PACG (53 males, 77 females) with a mean age of 64.5 ± 6.2 years and 130 healthy control subjects (51 males, 79 females) with a mean age of 64.0 ± 5.7 years were selected for evaluation. There was a significant association between rs3816415 (P = 0.005), rs736893 (P < 0.001), rs7494379 (P < 0.001), and rs1258267 (P = 0.02) with PACG susceptibility. This association could not be shown for rs3739821. Conclusion: It was revealed that studied variants in GLIS3, EPDR1, FERMT2, and CHAT genes can contribute to the incidence of PACG. Additional studies in other populations are needed to evaluate DPM2-FAM102A

Burden of Drug and Alcohol Use Disorders in Iran: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Background: Due to its specific socio-cultural and geographical situation, Iran has a major public health problem in terms of drug and alcohol use. The aim of this study is to report and critique the burden of drug and alcohol use disorders in Iran, and to compare these measurements with similar findings. Methods: This study used data for Iran for the years 1990, 2005, and 2010 derived from the Global Burden of Disease study conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in 2010. The burden of drug and alcohol use disorders was evaluated in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost to premature mortality (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs). Results: All rates were reported per 100,000 individuals. Death rates attributed to drug and alcohol use disorders were 7.7 and 0.16 for men, and 0.62 and 0.02 for women, respectively. YLL rates regarding drug use disorders were 351.8 and 24.8 for men and women, while these figures were 5.8 and 1.0 for alcohol use disorders for men and women, respectively. YLD rates of drug use disorders were 452.6 for men and 202.1 for women, and 105.8 for men and 23.7 for women for alcohol use disorders. DALY rates attributed to drug use disorders were 804.5 for men and 227 for women, while these rates were 111.7 for men and 24.7 for women, related to alcohol use disorders. Conclusions: Similar to the cases in many other countries, the burden of both drug and alcohol use disorders is higher for men than women in Iran. Although prevention policies and programs for drug and alcohol use are required for both genders, the need for drug and alcohol use intervention seems more urgent for men in Iran

بررسی کارایی بیومس قارچ آسپرژیلوس ترئوس در حذف کروم (VI) از محلولهای آبی: مطالعات ایزوترم و سینتیک جذب

Background and Aims: Chromium (VI) is one of the very toxic heavy metals and is known as a carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic agent. In this study, the ability of dead Aspergillus Terreus fungus biomass in the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions was investigated.Materials and Methods: The suspension of AspergillusTerreus was cultivated in Potato Dextrose Agar and Potato Dextrose Broth mediums. The biomass was then boiled in 0.5 N NaOH solution. The ability of obtained biomass to absorb Chromium (VI) was studied with respect to various variables including time (15 to 120 min), pH (3 to 11), chromium (VI) concentration (20 to 120 mg/L) and absorbent dosage (0.1 to 0.8 g). Chromium concentration was determined using an atomic absorption of. All ethical issues and citations were taken into consideration in conducting the study.Results: Results showed that the maximum removal of chromium (89%) was obtained at contact time 90 min, pH=7, chromium concentration 20 mg/L and adsorbent dosage 0.6 g. The adsorption isotherm was best fitted by Freundlich with a high correlation coefficient (R2=0.952). Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics fitted well to the pseudo-first-order model with a correlation coefficient of 0.9775.Conclusion: The results of present study indicated that the studied variables have an incredible effect on sorption efficiency, as in the optimum condition, the biomass of AspergillusTerreus obtained an acceptable efficiency and adoration capacity compared to other adsorbents. So, this compound can be introduced as a practical natural adsorbent for chromium removal and also other heavy metals form aqueous solutions.زمینه و اهداف: یکی از فلزات بسیار سمی در فاضلابهای صنعتی کروم شش ظرفیتی (VI) میباشد که بعنوان یک عامل کارسینوژن، موتاژن و تراتوژن شناخته میشود. در این مطالعه توانایی بیومس مرده تولید شده از قارچ آسپرژیلوس ترئوس در حذف کروم (VI) از محیطهای آبی مورد بررسی قرار گرفت  مواد و روشها: سوسپانسیون قارچ آسپرژیلوس ترئوس در محیط های کشت پوتیتو دکستروز آگار و پوتیتو دکستروز براث کشت داده و سپس در محلول 0.5نرمال NaOH جوشانده شد. توانایی جذب بیومس حاصل برای متغیرهای زمان 15) تا 120 دقیقه(، 3) pH تا (11، غلظت کروم 20)(VI) تا  (120 mg/L و دوز جاذب 0.1) تا 0.8g) مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. از دستگاه جذب اتمی مدل Varian جهت سنجش کروم(VI) استفاده شد. موازین اخلاقی در انجام این پژوهش و استفاده از منابع رعایت گردید یافته ها : نتایج نشان داد که فرآیند جذب در زمان تماس 90 دقیقه، pH برابر با 7 ، غلظت آلاینده20 mg/L و دوز جاذب 0/6 g، دارای راندمان حذف برابر با 89 درصد میباشد. همچنین فرآیند جذب از ایزوترم فرندلیخ با R2=0.952 و سینتیک شبه درجه اول با R2=0.9775 پیروی می نماید. نتیجه گیری: نتایج نشان داد که متغیرهای مورد مطالعه اثر قابل توجهای در راندمان جذب دارند، بطوریکه در شرایط بهینه، بیومس قارچ آسپرژیلوس ترئوس دارای راندمان و ظرفیت جذب قابل قبولی در حذف کروم (VI) در مقایسه با سایر جاذبها است. در نتیجه میتوان این ترکیب را بعنوان یک جاذب طبیعی جهت حذف کروم (VI ) و سایر فلزات سنگین از محیطهای آبی معرفی کر

Contamination of Selective Vegetables of Hamadan With Heavy Metals: Non-carcinogenic Risk Assessment

The current study was undertaken to determine the concentration of lead, cadmium copper, and zinc (Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn) in three types of collected green leafy vegetables irrigated with contaminated water compared with those irrigated with the fresh water of Hamadan province, Iran using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) technique. Twenty samples of vegetables such as basil, leek, and lettuce irrigated with contaminated water, and twenty samples from five different adjacent areas irrigated with fresh water as control were analyzed to determine heavy metals (HMs). The highest mean concentration of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn, regardless of the kind of vegetables irrigated with contaminated water, was 0.95, 0.32, 3.03, and 13.58 mg/kg fresh weight, respectively. Moreover, metals uptake differences by the vegetables were recognized to vegetable differences in tolerance to HMs. The human health risk assessment indicated that non-carcinogenic values of Pb and Cd were higher than the threshold value of 1, and ingestion was the main exposure pathway of HMs to both children and adults. It suggested that all receptors (especially basil and lettuce) in Hamadan province might have significant and acceptable non-carcinogenic risk because of exposure to Pb and Cd. The significant amount of these HMs in some plants may be due to agricultural uses for the irrigation of the vegetable lands of untreated sanitary and industrial wastewater. The findings revealed that vegetables imply the total health risk on local people, and regular monitoring of HMs is strongly recommended in this region