A LARGE ELECTRONIC WEIGHING LYSIMETER SYSTEM: DESIGN AND INSTALLATION1

ABSTRACT: To measure crop evapotranspiration, a large double tank, electronic weighting lysimeter system was designed and installed at the Shahid Bahonar University farm, Kerman, Iran. The system was installed in a 50 m² underground building. It includes two tanks of 3.00 m in diameter and 1.75 m deep. The weighing mechanism for each tank is a set of three compression strain gage load cells, which are fixed on 1.20 m height column above the floor. According to the specification of the load cells, the maximum possible weighing error may be about 0.01 percent of total mass, which is equivalent to 0.28 mm of water, but the measured error was equal to 1 kg mass, which is equivalent to 0.14 mm of water. The load cell data from each tank and the on‐site environmental data (temperature, humidity, and wind velocity and direction) are automatically recorded and saved in a personal computer hard disk for further use and analysis.     

Seat belt use among car drivers in Iranian safe communities: An observational study

Objective: The number of road traffic injuries and fatalities in Iran is high. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate of drivers' seat belt use and a number of related factors in Kashmar, Bardaskan, and Khalilabad (Iranian Safe Communities).Methods: In 2014, driver observations were made at 48 road sites on intercity roads, main streets, side streets, and rural roads in these 3 cities.Results: A total of 10,255 vehicles were observed, with the overall rate of seat belt use being 51.8%. The rates in Kashmar, Bardaskan, and Khalilabad were 51.4, 56.3, and 47.7%, respectively. In Kashmar, the odds of seat belt use were higher among drivers who were female, older, and taxi drivers. Higher use was also found during the afternoon, and lower use was observed on rural roads. In Khalilabad the odds of seat belt use were higher among females, older drivers, taxis, and private car drivers. Seat belt use was also higher on weekends and during the morning but was significantly lower on rural roads. Similarly, in Bardaskan the odds of using a seat belt were higher among females, older drivers, taxis, and private car drivers. Seat belt use was also higher during the afternoon but was significantly lower on rural roads, in comparison to main streets and intercity roads.Conclusions: The rate of seat belt use in these 3 cities was found to be low, despite these cities being designated as International Safe Communities. Therefore, seat belt promotion programs, tougher regulations, stronger enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and more research are needed to promote seat belt use in these Iranian cities.     

Health risk assessment of occupational exposure to styrene in Neyshabur electronic industries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Styrene is one of the essential components in making thousands of everyday products. Occupational exposure to styrene causes pulmonary, neurological,...     

Changes in urinary catecholamines in response to noise exposure in workers at Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex, Kerman, Iran

Noise is one of the most harmful agents in the workplace. In addition to the adverse effects of noise on the auditory system, as a stressor it may cause increased blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and impaired secretion of hormones. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in urinary catecholamines in workers exposed to industrial noise. This is an experimental study of the workers at the smelter section of Sarcheshmeh Copper Industries done on two separate days. During the first day, urine samples from 20 workers who did not use any hearing protection device, were collected during an 8-h work shift and on the second day the same was done but they were asked to use earplugs. Also 20 people were selected as a control group from people who were not exposed to noise at work. Urinary catecholamine levels were measured with ELISA kits. The mean urinary epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in the workers (without earplugs) was respectively 8.69 and 35.56 μg/8h on the first day and on the second day (with earplugs) dropped to 6.45 and 30.95 μg/8h. Noise reduction by earplugs led to almost significant reductions in urinary epinephrine (p?=?0.05) and significant reductions in norepinephrine (p?=?0.02). The results showed that with noise reduction the urinary excretion of stress hormones, especially norepinephrine significantly decreases and workers are probably less prone to stress-related disorders.     

Examination of compensatory model application in site selection

Nowadays, usage of compensatory models in land evaluation process and site selection is broadly observed. Meanwhile, methods such as analytical hierarchy process are used more than the others. Whether the usage of compensatory model methods in site selection studies is essentially correct or not is an issue that should be hesitated. In this model, inefficiency of a factor, to be offset by strength of others, means that in urban development site selection, if somewhere has unsuitable aspect but suitable slope, the aspect deficiency will be compensated by the slope. But quodlibet reflection is that in this model, sometimes, deficiency of proximity to fault can be compensated by other parameters strength. And finally, a place is diagnosed as a suitable area for urban development that is close to the fault. This research aims at examination of compensatory models application in urban development site selection of Taleghan Basin using analytical hierarchy process as one of the compensatory model methods. Among this the weaknesses and strengths of compensatory model were analyzed carefully. Results indicate that despite usefulness of this model in being fast, easy, and low expense, it has some weaknesses like very high sensitivity to decision maker’s idea.     

Examination of the operator and compensator tank role in urban wastewater treatment using activated sludge method

No doubt, operator is one of the main fundaments in wastewater treatment plants. By identifying the inadequacies, the operator could be considered as an important key in treatment plant. Several methods are used for wastewater treatment that requires spending a lot of cost. However, all investments of treatment facilities are useable when the expected efficiency of the treatment plant was obtained. Using experienced operator, this goal is more easily accessible. In this research, the wastewater of an urban community contaminated with moderated, diluted and highly concentrated pollution has been treated using surface and deep aeration treatment method. Sampling of these pilots was performed during winter 2008 to summer 2009. The results indicate that all analyzed parameters were eliminated using activated sludge and surface aeration methods. However, in activated sludge and deep aeration methods in combination with suitable function of operator, more pollutants could be eliminated. Hence, existence of operator in wastewater treatment plants is the basic principle to achieve considered efficiency. Wastewater treatment system is not intelligent itself and that is the operator who can organize even an inefficient system by its continuous presence. The converse of this fact is also real. Despite the various units and appropriate design of wastewater treatment plant, without an operator, the studied process cannot be expected highly efficient. In places frequently affected by the shock of organic and hydraulic loads, the compensator tank is important to offset the wastewater treatment process. Finally, in regard to microbial parameters, existence of disinfection unit is very useful.     

Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) as an environmentally friendly system for sustainable aquaculture: functionality,species, and application of biofloc technology (BFT)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and its prominent role has been proven in supplying food for the growing world...     

Effect of numerical schemes on advection terms for large eddy simulation of inclined dense jets

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Discharged jet from desalination plants has harmful effects on the surrounding environment so that it is essential to investigate its behavior in detail. The aim of...     

Hydride generation coupled to microfunnel-assisted headspace liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of arsenic with UV–Vis spectrophotometry

In this research, a microfunnel-assisted headspace liquid-phase microextraction technique has been used in combination with hydride generation to determine arsenic (As) by UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The method is based on the reduction of As to arsine (AsH₃) in acidic media by sodium tetrahydroborate (NaBH₄) followed by its subsequent reaction with silver diethyldithiocarbamate (AgDDC) to give an absorbing complex at 510 nm. The complexing reagent (AgDDC) has been dissolved in a 1:1 (by the volume ratio) mixture of chloroform/chlorobenzene microdroplet and exposed to the generated gaseous arsine via a reversed microfunnel in the headspace of the sample solution. Several operating parameters affecting the performance of the method have been examined and optimized. Acetonitrile solvent has been added to the working samples as a sensitivity enhancement agent. Under the optimized operating conditions, the detection limit has been measured to be 0.2 ng mL^?1 (based on 3s_b/m criterion, n _b?=?8), and the calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.5–12 ng mL^?1. The relative standard deviation for eight replicate measurements was 1.9 %. Also, the effects of several potential interferences have been studied. The accuracy of the method was validated through the analysis of JR-1 geological standard reference material. The method has been successfully applied for the determination of arsenic in raw and spiked soft drink and water samples with the recoveries that ranged from 91 to 106 %.     

Investigating utility level of waste disposal methods using multicriteria decision-making techniques (case study: Mazandaran-Iran)

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Regardless of collection and disposal systems of wastes, which are the main causes of pollution in cities and villages, attention to the health and...