Effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5 on years of life lost and expected life remaining in Ahvaz city,Iran (2008–2017)

Ambient air pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems, and many individuals around the world die each year prematurely from diseases caused by this type of pollution. PM_2.5 can transpire deep to the lungs and induce some dangerous health effects in humans. In this study, the health effects of long-term PM_2.5 were estimated on expected life remaining (ELR) and years of life lost (YLL) indices in Ahvaz city during the years 2008–2017 using the AirQ+ software developed by WHO. Values obtained from the PM_2.5 averaging, ELR, and YLL data were processed for the whole population in the age range of 0–64 and over 64. These values were entered into AirQ+ software. The mean annual concentration of PM_2.5 was highly variable, with the highest concentration being 70.72 μg/m³ in 2010 and the lowest 41.97 μg/m³ in 2014. In all studied years, the concentration of PM_2.5 with the variations between 4.2 to 7.07 times was higher than the WHO standard (10 μg/m³). Ahvaz city also did not experience any clean day during the 10-year period, and in 2010, there were 47 very unhealthy days and 27 dangerous days, i.e., the highest number of very unhealthy and dangerous days during the period. The results estimated that the highest and lowest YLL in the next 10 years for all ages groups would be 137,760.49 (2010) and 5035.52 (2014), respectively. Also, the ELR index was lower than the Iranian standard and EPA which was significantly correlated with the concentration of PM_2.5.

     

Effects of golpar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Heracleum persicum</Emphasis> Desf.) and probiotics in drinking water on performance,carcass characteristics,organ weights,blood plasma constituents,and immunity of broilers

Increasing levels of Heracleum persicum (golpar) in drinking water were studied in broilers. Two hundred and forty-one-day-old male chickens were allocated to one of six treatments: control, without added phytogenics nor probiotics in drinking water, and probiotics at recommended manufacturer’s level (P) or 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 ml/l of golpar extract solution (G1, G1.5, G2, and G2.5 treatments, respectively) in drinking water. As a result of this study, no linear or quadratic trends in the feed intake (FI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) due to golpar supplementation were found. Body weight gain, final body weight, and relative carcass weight showed a positive linear response with increasing levels of golpar supplementation. Neither golpar nor probiotics had effects on the percentages of edible parts of the carcass. Golpar supplementation levels caused a linear negative response of the albumin content in blood plasma, whereas both abdominal fat as percentage of carcass weight and uric acid levels in blood plasma linearly increased. The effects on Ig responses were only observed at 42 days of age and were similar in probiotics and the highest level of golpar supplementation. Based on our results, both probiotics and golpar supplementation could improve broiler performance and immune function.     

Spatial patterns of heavy metals in soil under different geological structures and land uses for assessing metal enrichments

One hundred and thirty composite soil samples were collected from Hamedan county, Iran to characterize the spatial distribution and trace the sources of heavy metals including As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Zn, and Fe. The multivariate gap statistical analysis was used; for interrelation of spatial patterns of pollution, the disjunctive kriging and geoenrichment factor (EF_G) techniques were applied. Heavy metals and soil properties were grouped using agglomerative hierarchical clustering and gap statistic. Principal component analysis was used for identification of the source of metals in a set of data. Geostatistics was used for the geospatial data processing. Based on the comparison between the original data and background values of the ten metals, the disjunctive kriging and EF_G techniques were used to quantify their geospatial patterns and assess the contamination levels of the heavy metals. The spatial distribution map combined with the statistical analysis showed that the main source of Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Pb, and V in group A land use (agriculture, rocky, and urban) was geogenic; the origin of As, Cd, and Cu was industrial and agricultural activities (anthropogenic sources). In group B land use (rangeland and orchards), the origin of metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, and V) was mainly controlled by natural factors and As, Cd, Cu, and Pb had been added by organic factors. In group C land use (water), the origin of most heavy metals is natural without anthropogenic sources. The Cd and As pollution was relatively more serious in different land use. The EF_G technique used confirmed the anthropogenic influence of heavy metal pollution. All metals showed concentrations substantially higher than their background values, suggesting anthropogenic pollution.     

New correlations predict aqueous solubility and density of carbon dioxide

In this paper, new correlations for predicting density and the solubility of carbon dioxide in pure water as well as the aqueous sodium chloride solutions are developed, where using the generated interaction parameters, the solubility model is applied to correlate the carbon dioxide solubilities in aqueous solutions for temperatures between 300 and 400 K and pressures from 50 to 700 bar. The correlation developed for predicting density of carbon dioxide accurately works for pressures between 25 and 700 bar and temperatures between 293 and 433 K. The results have been compared with the reported data and it was found that there is a good agreement between the prediction results and observed values.     

Simultaneous Removal of Nitrate and Natural Organic Matter from Drinking Water Using a Hybrid Heterotrophic/Autotrophic/Biological Activated Carbon Bioreactor

Simultaneous removal of nitrate ([Formula: see text]) and natural organic matter (NOM) from drinking water using a hybrid heterotrophic/autotrophic/BAC bioreactor (HHABB) was studied in continuous mode. The HHABB consisted of three compartments: ethanol heterotrophic part, sulfur autotrophic part, and biological activated carbon (BAC)-part (including anoxic and aerobic sections). Experiments were performed with [Formula: see text] concentration 30?mg N/L, [Formula: see text] loading rate 0.72?kg N/m(3)/d, C?:?N ratio 0.53, and three concentrations of NOM (0.6, 2.6, and 5.7?mg C/L). Overall denitrification rate and efficiency of the HHABB were not affected by NOM concentration and were in the suitable ranges of 0.69-0.70?kg N/m(3)/d and 96.0%-97.7%, respectively. NOM removal at concentration 0.6?mg C/L was not efficient because of organic carbon replacement as soluble microbial products. At higher NOM concentrations, total NOM removal efficiencies were 55%-65%, 55%-70%, and 55%-65% for dissolved organic carbon, trihalomethane formation potential, and UV absorbance at 254?nm (UV(254)), respectively. The more efficient compartments of the HHABB for the removal of NOM were the ethanol heterotrophic phase and aerobic BAC-phase. The efficiency of the HHABB in the removal of NOM was considerable, and the effluent dissolved organic carbon and trihalomethane formation potential concentrations were relatively low. This study indicated that the HHABB without the anoxic BAC-phase could be a feasible alternative for simultaneous removal of [Formula: see text] and NOM from drinking water at full scale.