narges shamsedini

There is a concern about exposure to bio-aerosols due to their harmful health effects. Bio-aerosols in surgery environment can potentially cause infection in susceptible and unsusceptible patients. The present study aimed to evaluate bacterial and fungal densities and species in surgery rooms in an educational hospital in Shiraz. A total of 168 samples were collected. Active sampling was done by using a single-stage Anderson sampler on plates including blood agar and sabouraud dextrose agar for 10 minutes for bacteria and fungi, respectively. The mean densities of fungi and bacteria were respectively 233.23±2.024 and 232.6±1.383 CFU/m3 before sterilization compared to 233.01±2.041 and 233.57±1.324 CFU/m3 after sterilization of the surgery rooms. No significant difference was observed between the densities of bacteria and fungi before and after sterilization in all surgery rooms (P>0.05). However, it was a significant difference between the total densities of bio-aerosols after sterilization compared to the suggested value. The density of bio-aerosols was greater than 30 CFU/m3 (P<0.01) in 100% of the cases, but did not exceed 500 CFU/m3 in any of the cases (P<0.01 in 71.42% of the cases). Moreover, Penicillium, Fusarium, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus were the most common fungi and gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, were the most dominant types of bacteria in surgery rooms. Quantitative and qualitative findings of this study revealed high densities of bacteria and fungi in surgery rooms. Thus, effective strategies have to be proposed to control bio-aerosols and their related health effects.

A vast variety of pesticides are used for agricultural pests in Iran. The release of these persistent organic pollutants into water supplies leaves adverse effects on both the environment and public health. This study aimed to compare the photo-degradation of atrazine in the aquatic environment using UV and UV/Fe (III)-TiO2 processes. The effects of parameters including pH, the initial concentration of atrazine, and reaction time on the removal of atrazine in the aqueous phase using ultraviolet radiation (1020 μW/cm2 ) and UV/Fe (III)-TiO2 were investigated. Residual concentrations were determined using HPLC. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16) and the graph was made by MATLAB software. The results demonstrated that the atrazine removal rate in both processes was significantly increased in acidic and alkaline conditions. By increasing initial atrazine concentrations, the removal rate was increased in both processes as well. Data showed that at the lower initial concentration of atrazine (0.1 and 1mg/l) the removal rate in UV/ Fe (III) - TiO2 process was more than the UV process. However, at higher concentration, both processes were almost the same and the maximum removal efficiency (99.2% at UV and 99.11% at UV /Fe (III) - TiO2) occurred at pH=11, initial Atrazine concentration of 10mg/L and the reaction time 30 min In conclusion, UV and Fe+3 -TiO2/UV process was an appropriate method to reduce atrazine in contaminated water resources.

The concentration of some indoor pollutants is often recognized as higher than that in the outdoor. Accordingly, household air pollution is currently considered one of the most important public health concerns worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) pollutants in the air of houses in Khesht, Fars Province, Iran. Moreover, it was attempted to evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of these compounds in respiratory air for housewives.

Air samples were taken from 30 houses according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Manual of Analytical Method no. 1501 and were analyzed using the gas chromatography/flame ionization detector to measure BTEX  compounds. In addition, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of target compounds in respiratory air for housewives during one year were assessed in this study. Mann Whitney U and Spearman correlation tests were applied to analyze the data in SPSS software (version 23). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

 According to the results, the benzene, toluene, and xylenes concentrations varied from 0.06 to 1.76, 0.1 to 0.96, and 0.01 to 0.97 µg / m3, respectively. Moreover, ethylbenzene levels in all samples were below the detection limit. A significant linear and positive relationship was observed between benzene and toluene concentrations (P<0.05). Furthermore, the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk for benzene in all samples was reported to be significantly lower than the standard (1×10-6) recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the calculated hazard quotient for benzene, toluene, and xylene was less than one in this study.

The WHO has not considered any safe restrictions on exposure to benzene, especially indoors in which people spend more time. However, even the low concentrations of these indoor pollutants are dangerous to human health, especially housewives. Therefore, in order to reduce the concentration of these pollutants and other BTEX compounds, it is recommended to reduce or eliminate those human activities that release BTEX compounds and use appropriate ventilation methods.

Exposure to environmental pollutants which have entered the atmosphere due to human and industrial activities results in harmful and unwanted effects on human health. The undesired effects of air pollution on mental disorders, mortality, and psychological disorders have been proven. Depression is a common mental health problem in today’s societies which impacts the quality of life. The objective of this study was to determine the relation between exposure to air pollution and frequency of depression in Shiraz (Southern Iran).
Archived documents of 2658 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) from a psychiatric university hospital were reviewed. The concentrations of five air pollutants including CO, NOX, O3, PM10, and NO2 were determined daily in two air quality monitory stations in downtown Shiraz (Imam Hossein Square) and Kazeroon Gate. The data relevant to these five pollutants were gathered every day for 83 months, from 2010 to 2017, and for more precision, the mean values were used. The relationship between the concentration of each pollutant in the air and the number of patients referring to hospital was determined using the Spearman’s correlation coefficient.
There was a direct and significant relationship between all pollutants and the number of hospital admissions in each month (P<0.05) except for CO which did not show a significant relationship with hospital admission due to depression (P>0.05).
The results of this study indicated a positive relationship between air pollution and depression. Of course, to prove this relationship, it is essential to conduct a number of studies with appropriate methodology and design.

The textile industry produces a large amount of polluted effluents discharged into the environment. Therefore, this research was carried out to compare the efficiency of removal of Reactive red 198 (RR–198) dye by fenton and photo– fenton processes and determine the optimal conditions for maximum removal. This study was conducted on a laboratory scale. The effect of influential parameters, including pH (3–9), Fe(II) concentration (10–200mg/L), H2O2 concentration (25–150mg/L), dye concentration (50–200mg/L) and reaction time (15–90min.) on dye removal was investigated and the optimal conditions were determined according to the maximum dye removal efficiency. The results indicated that the dye removal rate increased as the pH and Fe(II) concentration decreased. The optimal conditions for RR–198 removals from the aqueous solution are pH of 3, Fe (II) concentration of 10mg/L, H2O2 concentration of 50mg/L, the initial dye concentration of 50mg/L, and the reaction time of 15min.. The maximum dye removal efficiency under optimal conditions was 98.82%. The results of this study revealed that the photo–fenton process was superior to the removal of dye compared to fenton process.

Dye industries and textile are among the most water-consuming industries, which severely disturb the aquatic life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of Fenton process in removing Direct Red 81 dye from aqueous solutions and the optimal conditions for maximum removal. This research was conducted in a laboratory-scale using a one-litre photochemical reactor. The effect of the influential parameters, including pH (3–9), Fe (II) concentration (10–150mg/L), H2O2 concentration (20–150mg/L), initial dye concentration (25–150mg/L), and reaction time (15–120min) on the dye removal was investigated and the optimal conditions were determined according to maximum dye removal efficiency The results showed that the dye removal rate increased as the pH and Fe(II) concentration decreased and as the initial dye concentration and time increased. The optimal condition was at pH=3, Fe (II)=10mg/L, H2O2=50mg/L, initial dye concentration=100mg/L, and reaction time= 45 minutes. Although the maximum removal efficiency (98.29%) was obtained at the reaction time of 120 minutes, 45 min was the appropriate reaction time considering the costeffectiveness. Our results suggest that the Fenton process is a reliable and efficient method with more than 95% efficiency for decolourization of DR-81 dye and many industrial wastewaters.

Direct Red 81, a dye widely used in textile industries, is frequently detected dye in water resources. High costs, the formation of hazardous byproducts, and high energy costs restrict the use of some removal methods. Therefore, the main objectives of this research are the feasibility of using soil containing iron as a low cost adsorbent to remove (Direct Red 81) from aqueous phase and determining the optimum conditions for maximum removal efficiency. The present study was conducted at a bench scale. The influence of different parameters including the number of adsorbents; initial concentration of dye solution and pH at different time intervals on dye removal efficiency were investigated.  The maximum removal rate of dye (84%) occurred in pH=7 in the presence of 1 g soil with the initial dye concentration of 50 mg/L at 30 min reaction time. Moreover, due to the effect of acidic pH and the iron content of used soil a significant increase was observed in the rate of Direct Red 81dye removal. In conclusion, using soil containing iron is an appropriate method for the removal of Direct Red 81 from aqueous solutions.

Diabetes is the 5th cause of mortality among women and the 16th cause of mortality among men. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate and comparison of blood glucose levels, physical activity and blood pressure between medical sciences university employees and general population.

In across-sectional study using clustered sampling method, 238 subjects were enrolled, while 150 were Shiraz University of Medical Sciences employees and 88 were general population. A detailed standardized form was completed for all participants including demographic data, anthropometric measurements, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, diabetes and hypertension history and medication, physical activity, dietary habits, and nutrition.

The employee's abdominal circumference was 90.68±9.52 centimeter and that of general population was 78.18±26.9 centimeter (P<0.001). The systolic blood pressure of employees and general population were respectively 11.75±1.72 mmHg and 12.73±1.87 mm Hg and their diastolic blood pressure were 7.43±1.1 mmHg and 8.39±1.22 mmHg, respectively (P<0.001). Diabetes frequency in employees and general population was 9.9% and 41.8%, respectively (P<0.001).

The frequency of diabetes in medical personnel was less than general population which may reflect the impact of various factors on the physical activity; personal and social differences in different societies could explain the differences in the prevalence of physical inactivity and also proper control of blood glucose as well as appropriate and regular monitoring of blood glucose by medical staff.

Introduction and Trauma is one of the major cause of mortality and disability in communities and annually leads to the death of millions of people worldwide. Based on the evidence, car accident injuries (especially on religious and cultural events) are at an impressive level in Iran. Regarding this, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of trauma patients admitted to Shahid Rajai Hospital, and its relationship with religious, cultural, and national occasions, such as Ramadan, Tasua and Ashura, and so forth.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on the trauma patients admitted to Shahid Rajai Hospital in Shiraz, Iran, on religious, cultural, and national occasions during 2009-2014. The data were collected through a checklist, including the demographic data, some questions about the mechanism of the accident (i.e., car and motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, assault, as well as gun and knife attacks), and religious occasions of the admission day (e.g., holidays, Wednesday Feast, Yalda, Tasua and Ashura, and Ramadan). The data were analyzed in SPSS version 17 using the descriptive statistics and the frequency distribution table.
According to the results, on the celebrations and birthdays, the highest number of trauma patient admission was recorded. In addition, the mean number of hospitalized men was significantly higher than that of the women. There was no significant difference in the mean number of the admissions between the first and second half of Nowruz and between the Martyrs’ Days and birthdays regarding the accident mechanisms of the car accident, motorcycle accident, assaults, falls, and unexpected events.
As the findings of the present study indicated, the highest number of the admissinos occurred on the birthdays and celebrations, especially among the males. Therefore, it is suggested that measures be taken to minimize the number of traumatic accidents, especially on holydays, and deliver more care for the pedestrians, motorcyclists, and car drivers in this regard.

Implementing the healthcare reform plan in our country has forced the medical centres to pay more attention to the patients’ rights and their satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient's satisfaction levels and the gap between their expectations and perceptions in Shahid Rajaee Hospital in Shiraz.
This cross-sectional study was performed aiming at evaluating the patient's satisfaction levels and the gap between their expectations and perceptions in Shahid Rajaee Hospital of Shiraz in 2015. In order to collect the data, 98 questionnaires were distributed among the patients using randomized sampling method; their validity and reliability were confirmed. Finally, through SPSS 20 software, we used descriptive statistics and the one-sample t-test for data analysis.
Results showed that amongst the patients’ perceptions, the highest mean belonged to Reliability dimension (3.50), and the lowest one to Assurance (3.23). In terms of the patient's expectations, the highest mean belonged to Reliability dimension (4.30) and the lowest one to Physical aspect (4.18). Of the 5 dimensions in this research, the largest gap between the patient’s expectations and perceptions belonged to Responsiveness, and the smallest one to Physical aspect.
The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the patients’ expectations and perceptions, and the quality of services provided by the hospital needed further attention. It seems that it is necessary for managers and policy makers to plan for this issue and take measures to reduce these gaps in the quality and promote better health care services.

Textile dyes are the largest organic compounds associated with some problems for the environment. Advanced oxidation process is the most effective method for dye removal from wastewater.
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of the photo Fenton process for decolorization of direct red 81 (DR 81) dye, and to determine the optimal process conditions.
This is a cross-sectional study conducted on a laboratory scale. The effective parameters in the photo Fenton process include pH, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate concentration, hydrogen peroxide concentration, initial dye concentration and reaction time. These parameters were studied, and finally analyzed using the Excel software.
According to the obtained results, maximum removal efficiency was 98.1% at pH = 3, concentration of Fe (II) was 10 mg/L, hydrogen peroxide concentration was 50 mg/L, initial concentration of dye was 100 mg/L, and reaction time was 120 minutes. Results showed that increasing the concentration of Fe (II), H2O2 and the initial concentration of dye to a certain extent resulted in increasing removal efficiency, then by increasing the concentrations of these parameters, removal efficiency decreased. Results also indicated that increasing a reaction time resulted in increasing removal efficiency.
The photo Fenton method with optimized parameters can be used to conduct high efficiency dye removal in a short period of time and this process is based on hydroxyl radical formation.

Atrazine is used extensively in many parts of the world for controlling a variety of weeds, primarily in the production of corn. Its widespread use in water has caused environmental concern because of its frequent detection in aquatic systems where this herbicide has been spilled.
The purpose of this study was to focus on evaluating the feasibility of using titanium catalyst doped with iron (FeTiO2) to remove atrazine from the aqueous phase and to determine its removal efficiency in ideal conditions.
The influence of different parameters was considered. Three different levels of pH (3 - 11), initial concentration of atrazine at three different levels (0.1 - 10 mg/L), and reaction time at five different levels (0 - 120 minutes) in the removal of atrazine in an aqueous-phase titanium catalyst doped with iron (FeTiO2) at three different levels (0 - 25) were investigated. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16).
The results demonstrated that the atrazine removal rate increased by decreasing the initial atrazine concentration and the maximum rate of atrazine removal (41.72%) was at pH = 11, atrazine concentration = 0.1 mg/L, and catalyst concentration = 25 at 120 minutes.
According to the results, it can be concluded that the titanium catalyst doped with iron (FeTiO2) processes is an appropriate method for reducing atrazine in polluted water resources.

High levels of nitrate anion are frequently detected in many groundwater resources in Fars province. The present study aimed to determine the removal efficiency of nitrate from aqueous solutions by electrocoagulation process using aluminum and iron electrodes. A laboratory-scale batch reactor was conducted to determine nitrate removal efficiency using the electrocoagulation method. The removal of nitrate was determined at pH levels of 3, 7, and 11, different voltages (15, 20, and 30 V), and operation times of 30, 60, and 75 min, respectively. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between the parameters. Results of the present study showed that the removal efficiency was increased from 27% to 86% as pH increased from 3 to 11 at the optimal condition of 30 V and 75 min operation time. Moreover, by increasing the reaction time from 30 V to 75 min the removal efficiency was increased from 63% to 86%, respectively (30 V and pH = 11). Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between removal efficiency and voltage and reaction time as well (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the electrocoagulation process can be used for removing nitrate from water resources because of high efficiency, simplicity, and relatively low cost.

Nitrate is largely dissolved in the surface and ground water, due to its high solubility. Continual uptake of nitrite through drinking water can lead to problems and diseases (such as blue baby) for humans, especially children.. The aim of this study was to develop a new and inexpensive method for the removal of nitrate from water. In this regard, the possibility of using chaff for removal of nitrate from aqueous solutions was studied and the optimum operating conditions of nitrate removal was determined.. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in laboratory scale. The UV spectrophotometer at a wavelength of maximum absorbance (220 nm) was used to determine the nitrate concentration. The effect of pH, amount of chaff, temperature, and contact time were investigated.. The result of this study revealed that chaff as an absorbent could remove nitrate from solutions, and the efficiency of adsorption increased as contact time increased from 5 to 30 minutes, amount of chaff increased from 1 to 3 g, temperature increased in a range of 300 - 400°C and the amount of pH decreased from 10 to 3. The maximum adsorption rate was around pH 3 (53.14%).. It was shown that the removal efficiency of nitrate was directly proportional to the amount of chaff, temperature, and contact time but inversely to the pH. This study showed that nitrate removal by chaff is a promising technique..

Recently, there has been a great concern about the consumption of dyes because of their toxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and persistence in the aquatic environment. Reactive dyes are widely used in textile industry. Advanced oxidation processes are one of the cost-effective methods for the removal of these dyes. The main aims of this study were determining the feasibility of using Fenton process in removing Reactive Red 198 (RR-198) dye from aqueous solution and determining the optimal conditions. This is a cross-sectional study conducted at a laboratory scale. A total of 69 samples were considered and the effect of pH, Fe (II) concentration, H2O2 concentration, initial dye concentration and reaction time were investigated. According to the results, a maximum removal efficiency of 92% was obtained at pH of 3 and the reaction time of 90 min; also, the concentration of Fe (II), H2O2, initial dye concentration were 100 mg/L, 50 mg/L, and 100 mg/L, respectively. The results revealed that by increasing the concentration of Fe (II), H2O2 and initial dye, the removal efficiency was increased. The results showed that Fenton process could be used as a cost-effective method for removing RR-198 dye from textile wastewater efficiently.

Atrazine is one of the most widely used triazine herbicides which has been used for controlling broadleaf and grassy weeds for many years. Its widespread use in water has caused environmental concern because of frequent detection of atrazine in aquatic systems where this herbicide has been spilled. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the herbicide removal efficiency at the optimal conditions. The effect of different parameters including pH at three different levels (3-11), the initial concentration of atrazine at three different levels (0.1-10 mg/L), and reaction time at five different levels (0-120 min) on the removal of atrazine in the aqueous phase using ultraviolet radiation (1020 μw/cm2) was investigated. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16). The results demonstrated that atrazine removal rate increased by increasing pH, initial atrazine concentration, and reaction time. The maximum rate of atrazine removal (99.2%) at optimal condition occurred in pH=11, atrazine concentration=10 mg/L at 30 min. According to the findings, it can be concluded that the UV-A process is an effective and commodious method for reducing atrazine in polluted water resources.

In recent years, the nitrate concentration in surface water and especially in groundwater was increased significantly in many parts of Iran.. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of using Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH) to remove nitrate from aqueous phase as well as to determine the removal efficiency at the optimal condition.. The present study was conducted on a bench scale experiment. The spectrophotometer DR5000 (wavelength 520 nm) was used to determine the nitrate concentration. The effect of influencing parameters including pH at 5 levels (3.8 - 7.8), initial nitrate concentration at 4 levels (50 - 150 mg/L) the amount of adsorbent dose (0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75 g/50mL), the effects of interfering ions, such as sulfate ions at 4 levels (200 - 800 mg/L) and chloride ions at 4 levels (200 - 800 mg/L), and contact time at 3 levels (30 - 90 minutes) were studied.. Based on our data, pH of 4.8, adsorbent dose of 3.75 g and contact time of 90 minutes is optimal for nitrate removal. Furthermore, the nitrate reduction rate was increased rapidly by the addition of the adsorbent and decreased by nitrate addition. The nitrate reduction rate was increased by increasing the contact time. The percent of nitrate reduction was significantly enhanced by decreasing the pH (from 7.8 to 8.4) and then reached a plateau with a relative slow equilibration. Moreover, adsorption efficiency was significantly decreased in the presence of interfering ions, such as sulfate and chloride ions.. In conclusion, GFH can be used as a reliable and appropriate method with high efficiency for the reduction of nitrate in many polluted water resources..

Reactive dyes, anionic compounds with high water solubility, are widely used in textile industries.. The present study aimed to assess the feasibility of the photo-Fenton process in removing Reactive Red 198 dye from aqueous solutions and determine the optimal conditions for maximum removal.. This study was performed on a laboratory scale using a 4-liter photochemical reactor. The spectrophotometer DR5000 (wavelength 520 nm) was used to determine the dye concentration. The effect of the influencing parameters, including pH (3–9), Fe (II) concentration (10–200 mg/L), H2O2 concentration (25 - 150 mg/L), initial dye concentration (50–200 mg/L), and reaction time (15 - 120 minutes) were studied.. According to the results, the photo-Fenton (UV/ H2O2/Fe (II)) process significantly removed dye from the aqueous solution. The Reactive Red 198 dye removal efficiency from aqueous solutions was more than 99% at optimal conditions (pH = 3, Fe (II) = 10 mg/L, H2O2 = 75 mg/L, initial dye concentration = 50 mg/L, and reaction time = 120 minutes).. The present study demonstrated that the UV/ H2O2/Fe (II) process could be used as an efficient, reliable method for removing Reactive Red 198 dye from textile wastewater..

Introduction & Indoor air quality, particularly in health care facility, is important. One of the most important factors affect the air quality is aerosols due to carrying microorganisms and deposit in the respiratory tract. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of suspended particles in outdoor and indoor ‎of Dena hospital and determine the relationship between these parameters.‎ A cross-sectional study was done in Dena hospital in Shiraz in 2012. 315 samples were collected for analysis. Sampling was performed by using a sampler Aerosol Mass Monitor, Model GT-331, made in Japan to ‎measure the particle concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5. To compare the concentration of indoor suspended particles ‎in air in different wards and outdoor particle, t-test was used. Then the data ‎were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results showed that average PM10 in the air in hospital wards as well as all the outdoor air is significantly less than the standard 24-hour WHO and the standard 24-hour USEPA (p<0.001). The Significant relationships were seen for the average concentrations of PM2.5 in all the sampling sites ‎and the 24-hour standard of WHO and USEPA (p<0.001‎)‎. The concentration of particle matter in indoor air in Dena hospital was less than the outdoor air that indicate the proper functioning of air-conditioning systems inside the different department of the hospital.

The intellectual capability and personalities of children, who form the future of a nation, develop in elementary school. The educational organizations help students get rightful education and guidance and to grow up happily.. The aim of this study is to evaluate the health status of elementary schools in the city of Kazeroon, Fars Province, Iran.. This research attempted to measure the physical environmental health conditions of 41 elementary schools in the educational district of Kazeroon. We used a questionnaire consisting of 88 questions prepared by Iranian Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. Data were collected by interview with school administrators and health instructors and analyzed using SPSS, version 18 and Chi-square test.. According to the results obtained, 85% of the schools were equipped with fan or air condition. In addition, 17% of the schools had separate labs and the rest used school health room as a lab. The environmental health conditions in none of the school pantries complied with the article 13 of the law on food, beverage and cosmetics, in addition to lacking the basic principles of the physical school conditions.. Many elementary schools in Kazeroon have urgent needs for restrooms, drinking water fountains, emergency exit ways, and maintenance of old buildings. The problem mostly arises from the lack of information of the school’s administrators and health instructors with the standard requirements for school environmental health quality. Therefore, it is highly recommended to upgrade the physical and school environmental health conditions, and increase awareness and update the knowledge of the education authorities about the school environmental health condition. A close cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education is recommended to solve the health problems in the schools in order to prevent diseases and injuries to the health of the students..

Low-cost anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), which is widely used for controlling high-organic wastewater, is an effective method to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD).. The main objectives was evaluating the feasibility of using ASBR in the treatment of synthetic dairy wastewater, determining its removal efficiency, and assessing the effect of temperature on operating conditions to remove the COD effectively.. The present study was conducted at a pilot scale system. Experiments were performed using a 20-L reactor and two storage tanks with the volume of 10 L. The effect of the variation of temperatures (20°C-35°C) and the effect of running cycles (10 runs) on the efficiency of COD removal by the ASBR process were investigated. Four heaters were used to produce the heat of the reactor. At first, raw wastewater in the primary tank was heated to the desirable temperature and then three more heaters continuously produce the heat in the reactor to operate system at the constant operating temperature in each run. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16through Pearson’s correlation coefficient to analyze the association between these parameters.. The maximum COD removal rate was 89.7% at the organic loading of 4.5 g/L per day in a 24-hour cycle condition with reaction time of 21 hours and 30 minutes. The maximum biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) removal rate was 91% and occurred at the first run. The amount of COD removal efficiency was higher at the first run in comparison to the third cycle (27.5%). BOD5 removal efficiency decreased up to 24.4% due to the drop of temperature in the reactor. Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant association between the temperature and the removal efficiencies (P < 0.01).. The results of this study indicated that any decrease in the temperature caused reduction in system efficiency of removing BOD5 and COD. Temperature of 35°C is optimal for the removal of high organic load wastewater. ASBR can be used as an effective tool to treat dairy industry wastewater..

Fat, oil and grease (FOG) in municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP) caused many problems.. This study aimed to determine the removal efficiency of FOG in Shiraz MWWTP.. The removal efficiencies of FOG in the MWWTP were studied from June 2011 to September 2011 in Shiraz (Iran). The influent and effluent wastewater samples were collected in a volume of one liter (4 samples per week) and analyzed according to the standard methods. Samples are transferred to the laboratory immediately. The concentration of FOG was determined using the solvent extraction and separating funnel and then compared with the effluent standards. To analyze the data, SPSS (version 11.5), Chi-square test and t test were used.. The results showed that the FOG amount in input raw sewage in the MWWTP from June 2011 to September 2011 was around 25.5 mg/L and the amount in treated wastewater was about 8.1 mg/L. The FOG removal efficiency in this refinery was about 70% and met the environmental standards for the discharge (less than 10 mg/L) (P < 0.05).. The effluent can be discharged to surface waters or used for irrigation. In order to the FOG concentration met the effluent standards, it is very crucial to control the entrance of industrial wastewater to the municipal wastewater collection networks. Otherwise, the MWWTP should be upgraded and the special techniques used to reduce FOG..

Investigating the obstacles to research in developing countries can yield valuable outcomes. Thus, the universities that seek global competition and progress should identify and remove the barriers to research to provide the researchers with the opportunity for performing more studies.. The purpose of this study was to investigate the obstacles to research and the viewpoints of faculty and nonfaculty members of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.. This study was conducted using two consecutive methods among the researchers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. First, a qualitative phase was conducted and followed by a cross-sectional phase using convenience sampling. At the end, 105 questionnaires were filled out in academic year 2011-12. The questions were classified into three areas of management-organizational, financial-equipment, and personal-professional and were ranked from very unimportant to very important by Likert scale. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis.. Three areas of management-organizational, financial-equipment, and personal-professional were the main core variables. The findings showed that the problems for performing research were high workload and different expectations of the university from the faculty members and researchers (Mean, 4.63), lack of time due to educational tasks (Mean, 4.31), and lack of funding support (Mean, 4.13). Considering the barriers, the highest and lowest means belonged to financial-equipment (Mean, 3.75 ± 0.65) and personal-professional (Mean, 3.35 ± 0.82) obstacles, respectively.. There were significant problems in different phases of performing a research, which must be identified and solved. Moreover, all the motivations for conducting a useful research should be prepared..

Background and The main objectives of this research were to evaluating the application of electrocoagulation process for 198 dye from the aqueous phase and determining the optimum operating conditions to the dye removal using aluminum and iron electrodes. The present study was conducted in bench-scale. The spectrophotometer DR 5000 was used to determine the dye concentration. The effects of pH, retention time, voltage, dye concentration on the efficiency of electrocoagulation process were investigated. Data were analyzed in SPSS for Windows 16.0 using Pearson’scorrelation coefficient to analyze the relationship between these parameters. The results showed that the optimal conditions for reactive red 198 (RR-198) dye removal from the aqueous solution are pH of 11, the voltage of 32 V, the initial dye concentration of 10 ppm, and the reaction time of 40 min. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between voltage and the reaction time with the removal efficiencies (P< 0.01). It was revealed that the removal efficiency of dye was directly proportional to the voltage and reaction time, but inversely proportional to the initial dye concentration. In conclusion, electrocoagulation process using two-fold iron and aluminum electrodes is an appropriate method for reducing the RR-198 dye in the aqueous phase.

Expanding cities with rapid economic development has resulted in increased energy consumption leading to numerous environmental problems for their residents. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between air pollution and mortality rate due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Shiraz. This is an analytical cross‑sectional study in which the correlation between major air pollutants (including carbon monoxide [CO], sulfur dioxide [SO2], nitrogen dioxide [NO2] and particle matter with a diameter of less than 10 μ [PM10]) and climatic parameters (temperature and relative humidity) with the number of those whom expired from cardiopulmonary disease in Shiraz from March 2011 to January 2012 was investigated. Data regarding the concentration of air pollutants were determined by Shiraz Environmental Organization. Information about climatic parameters was collected from the database of Iran’s Meteorological Organization. The number of those expired from cardiopulmonary disease in Shiraz were provided by the Department of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. We used non‑parametric correlation test to analyze the relationship between these parameters. The results demonstrated that in all the recorded data, the average monthly pollutants standard index (PSI) values of PM10 were higher than standard limits, while the average monthly PSI value of NO2 were lower than standard. There was no significant relationship between the number of those expired from cardiopulmonary disease and the air pollutant (P > 0.05). Air pollution can aggravate chronic cardiopulmonary disease. In the current study, one of the most important air pollutants in Shiraz was the PM10 component. Mechanical processes, such as wind blowing from neighboring countries, is the most important parameter increasing PM10 in Shiraz to alarming conditions. The average monthly variation in PSI values of air pollutants such as NO2, CO, and SO2 were lower than standard limits. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between the average monthly variation in PSI of NO2, CO, PM10, and SO2 and the number of those expired from cardiopulmonary disease in Shiraz.