Abstract Coastal aquifers are one of the most important sources of water supply, and it is expected that the effects of climate change will be one of their threatening factors in the short or long ...term. The present study was conducted in the northern coasts of Iran (Amirabad, Babolsar) and the main goal was to investigate the behavior of saltwater advance in coastal aquifers considering the changes in the coastline due to the effects of climate change and aquifer characteristics. In order to simulate the flow of underground water and the advancement of salt water in the coastal aquifer of the Caspian Sea, MODFLOW MT3DMS and SEAWAT numerical models were used in the GMS10.6 software. The results show that there is a salinity increase of up to 60 ppt, which is much higher than the minimum seawater salinity of 2 ppt. According to the results, it is clear that in the studied area, contaminated water entered the underground aquifers, especially in the coastal erosion areas and during the seasons when the sea level changes and when the changes in the coastline increase.
Remote Sensing observations have enormous advantages in aerosol studies since aerosols' space and time variation. MODIS and CALIOP are two independent instruments with different design principles ...that provide aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals and scan the same points on the Earth's surface within a 2-min interval. Due to predefined aerosol models and fixed vertical profiles in the MODIS algorithm and AOD CALIOP resolution, MODIS and CALIOP cannot give suitable spatial-temporal coverage in related studies. This paper proposes a method based on Bayesian networks to retrieve the AODs by the synergy of CALIOP and MODIS in two vertical layers, 1.5 and 3 km. We applied the Bayesian network for three days in 2018 over the Persian Gulf. The overall analyses reveal that estimated AOD by the seasonal networks correlates with obtained retrieval CALIOP AODs. The correlation values, 0.94 and 0.84, are obtained for the first layer in the summer and winter. These values for the second layer are 0.88 and 0.82. The observed differences in the estimated AOD with the actual measured AOD values and the overall correlation results demonstrate that the proposed networks are sufficient to provide accurate AODs in the two, 1.5, and 3 km vertical layers. According to the experimental results, the layering MAIAC AOD product becomes more suitable for monitoring and studying aerosol phenomena by applying the proposed networks.
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•AOD is sensitive to the aerosol vertical profile.•Layering MODIS AOD product using Bayesian networks is a way to afford the challenge of the low temporal-spatial resolution retrieved CALIOP AOD.•Assuming univariate and multi-variate Gaussian distribution for nodes can improve the accuracy of the estimated AODs.•Layering MODIS AOD can give specific knowledge when the increase in aerosol and aerosol transport globally and atmosphere behavior related studies.
Abstract
Background
Evidence concerning the impact of long-term exposure to fine Particulate Matter ≤2.5 μm (PM
2.5
) on Cardio-Vascular Diseases (CVDs) for those people subject to ambient air ...pollution in developing countries remains relatively scant. This study assessed the relationship of 15-year PM
2.5
exposure with cardiovascular incidence and mortality rate in Isfahan province, Iran.
Methods
The cohort comprised 3081 participants over 35 years old who were free of CVDs. They were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling in Isfahan, Iran. PM
2.5
exposure was determined separately for each individual via satellite-based spatiotemporal estimates according to their residential addresses. In this context, CVD is defined as either fatal and non-fatal Acute Myocardial Infarctions (AMI) or stroke and sudden cardiac death. The incidence risk for CVD and the ensuing mortality was calculated based on the average PM
2.5
exposure within a study period of 15 years using the Cox proportional hazards frailty model upon adjusting individual risk factors. The mean annual rate of PM
2.5
and the follow-up data of each residential area were combined.
Results
Mean three-year PM
2·5
exposure for the cohort was measured at 45.28 μg/m
3
, ranging from 20.01 to 69.80 μg/m
3
. The median time period for conducting necessary follow-ups was 12.3 years for the whole population. Notably, 105 cardiovascular and 241 all-cause deaths occurred among 393,786 person-months (27 and 61 per 100,000 person-months, respectively). In well-adjusted models, 10 μg/m
3
increase in PM
2.5
corresponded to a 3% increase in the incidence rate of CVDs 0.95 CI = 1.016, 1.036 (in case of
p
= 0.000001 per 10 μg/m
3
increase in PM
2.5
, the Hazard Ratio (HR) for AMI and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) was 1.031 0.95 CI = 1.005, 1.057 and 1.028 0.95 CI = 1.017, 1.039), respectively. No consistent association was observed between PM
2.5
concentration and fatal CVD (fatal AMI, fatal stroke, SCD (Sudden Cardiac Death)) and all-cause mortality.
Conclusions
Results from analyses suggest that the effect of PM
2.5
on cardiovascular disease occurrence was stronger in the case of older people, smokers, and those with high blood pressure and diabetes. The final results revealed that long-term exposure to ambient PM
2.5
with high concentrations positively correlated with IHD incidence and its major subtypes, except for mortality. The outcome accentuates the need for better air quality in many countries.
Considering the antimicrobial properties of silver and its enhanced level at nanoscale scale, it can be used to combat the various pathogens and microbial agents. The aim of this study was to ...investigate the antimicrobial effect of silver nanoparticles synthesized with Bougainvillea Glabra extract on standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In this study, silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized using the aquatic Bougainvillea Glabra extract under optimal conditions. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles was confirmed using UltraViolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Based on the X-ray diffraction pattern, the silver nanoparticles crystallite size was 21 nanometers. Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) and Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) showed the synthesis of silver nanoparticles of about 23 nm in size and spherical morphology. Revitalizing and stabilizing agent groups were identified using Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The mean diameter of the inhibition zone and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) were 27.6 mm and 3.12μg/mL for S. aureus and 19.3mm and 12.5μg/mL for E. coli, respectively. Biological synthesis using Bougainvillea Glabra aquatic extract is a very inexpensive and cost-effective method. The ability of Bougainvillea Glabra to synthesize silver nanoparticles makes it possible to use this plant as a useful biological source for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles with suitable and practical sizes for medical and microbicide applications.
This study investigated the discharge coefficient in asymmetric rectangular labyrinth weirs. A dimensional analysis was carried out which showed that the discharge coefficient is a function of ...dimensionless parameters, such as the ratio of asymmetric widths of left and right cycles (wL/wR), the ratio of the total hydraulic head to the weir height (Ht/P), and the weir length ratio (B/wavg). The experimental results for the discharge coefficient were found to decline as wL/wR increased or B/wavg decreased. For wL/wR = 1.19, the ratio B/wavg = 2.76 improves the discharge coefficient by nearly 12.7% compared to B/wavg = 3.1. For wL/wR = 1.42, the ratio B/wavg = 2.76 improves the discharge coefficient by nearly 34.2% compared to B/wavg = 3.1. For wL/wR = 1.70, the ratio B/wavg = 2.76 improves the discharge coefficient by nearly 30% compared to B/wavg = 3.1.
Hajiabad plain with an area of about 158 km2 is located about 160 km north of Bandar Abbas in Iran. Due to the significance of this plain in terms of agricultural and drinking water supply in the ...region and the declining groundwater level in the region, the withdrawal of water resources has been prohibited in recent years. The purpose of this study is to determine the vulnerability of the aquifer using the DRASTIC model and the optimal method of fuzzy logic as well as the drastic method calibrated with nitrate. Finally, the final vulnerability maps were calibrated with EC values. In order to investigate the hydrogeochemical properties of groundwater resources of the plain, 26 water samples were collected from designated points in different periods of the water year 2018. Water samples were analyzed in Hormozgan soil and water laboratory. Also, the results of water sample data analyzed by Hormozgan Regional Water Organization were used. Assessment of aquifer vulnerability based on vulnerability models showed that the east and parts of the center of the plain were subject to the highest vulnerability, while the southern, southwestern, and northern slopes of the plain were of the lowest vulnerability. The determined coefficients between nitrate and DRASTIC vulnerability models and fuzzy optimization were estimated to be 0.41 and 0.36, respectively. Nitrate concentration validation demonstrated that the vulnerabilities of Hajiabad plain aquifer were almost similar under both drastic model and fuzzy optimization methods.
Excess water production is one of the challenges that can cause several operational and economic problems. In this work, a comprehensive study of the PPG swelling in the presence of monovalent and ...divalent ions was conducted. Then, a comprehensive and practical mathematical modified fractal grow (MFG) model that can calculate the amount of PPG swelling in different salinities overtime was introduced. The output of the model was compared with the experimental data and showed a matching of about 80%. The viscosity of the PPGs at various shear rates was studied and matched with the cross-viscosity model. To assess the thermal stability of the particle gels. The TGA result represented the 10% of weight loss up to the reservoir temperature. In the following, core flooding tests with different injection scenarios were conducted. The oil recovery for the water and water/PPG/water scenarios were 39.5% and 71.5%, respectively. Eventually, the relative permeability curves were plotted using the Corey approach, and the effect of the PPG injection on the relative permeability curves was shown. The PPG injection increased oil production and reduced the excess water production by reducing water mobility.
Difficult laryngoscopy and intubation are serious problems among critically ill patients in emergency department (ED) so utility of a rapid, accurate and noninvasive method for predicting of these ...patients are necessary. Ultrasonography has been recently used in this regard and this study was conducted to investigate the correlation of some introduced upper airway ultrasound parameters with difficult laryngoscopy / difficult intubation in patients referred to the ED.
In this prospective observational study all patients ≥ 18-year-old who had an indication for rapid sequence intubation (RSI) were included. Ultrasound parameters including Hyoid Bone Visibility (HBV), Distance from Skin to Hyoid Bone (DSHB), Distance from Skin to Vocal Cords (DSVC), Distance from Skin to Thyroid Isthmus (DSTI), and Distance between Arytenoids Cartilages (DBAC) were measured in all cases. The patients underwent RSI and thereafter the patients' baseline characteristics, Cormack-Lehane grade, number of attempted laryngoscopy were recorded in a pre-prepared check list and compared with measured ultrasound parameters. The "difficult laryngoscopy" was defined as Cormack-Lehane classification grades III/IV; and need for more than 3 intubation attempts was considered as "difficult intubation".
One hundred and twenty-three patients (52% male) were included of whom 10 patients (8.1%) were categorized as difficult laryngoscopy cases; and just 4 (3.3%) cases underwent more than 3 laryngoscopy attempts who considered as difficult intubation cases. The mean age of the patients in non-difficult and difficult intubation groups were 69.2 ± 15.16 and 68.77 ± 17.37 years, respectively (p > 0.05). There was no significant relationship between difficult laryngoscopy and HBV (p = 0.381) but has significant correlation with difficult intubation (p = 0.004). The DSHB had a significant correlation with difficult laryngoscopy (p = 0.002) but its correlation with difficult intubation was not significant (p = 0.629). The DSVC and DSTI had a significant relationship with both difficult laryngoscopy (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001), and difficult intubation (p = 0.025 and p = 0.001). The DBAC had not significant correlation neither with the difficult laryngoscopy (p = 0.142), nor with difficult intubation (p = 0.526).
The findings showed that ultrasound parameters including soft tissue DSHB, DSVC and DSTI could be proper predictors of difficult laryngoscopy. Also, HBV, DSVC and DSTI may be proper predictors for difficult intubation. But DBAC was not useful in this regard.
Collapsible soils are among the problematic soils in nature that, due to moisture content increasing and under the same stress, show a high rate of decrease in volume. This volume reduction leads to ...loss of soil structure and ultimately to significant subsidence. Such soils in many parts of the world, including the Kerman province of Iran, necessitate researches regarding the collapsible soils' behavior and characteristics. This study aims to investigate the effect of butadiene rubber on the stabilization of collapsible soils. The tested fine-grained soils that have been sampled from two different sites were stabilized through injecting different percentages of butadiene (the number of experiments was 84). The ASTM D5333 Double-Consolidation Method was applied to examine the stabilized soils on intact soil samples. The results show that the penetrations of butadiene rubber and the formation of butadiene rubber columns have led to a reduction in soil collapse. Considering the development of intelligent systems using the prediction behavior of stabilized collapsible soils, the adaptive neural-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model was used to predict the degree of collapsibility of soil samples stabilized by injection of Styrene Butadiene Rubber.
Objective: Hand lacerations are among the most frequent causes of visiting emergency departments (EDs). Wound infection is one of its complications. There is still an ongoing disagreement on the ...administration of oral versus intravenous (IV) antibiotics (ABs). The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of oral versus IV ABs in preventing wound infection of hand lacerations. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, we enrolled all patients with hand lacerations (based on the inclusion criteria) during 6 months in the EDs of 2 tertiary referral centers. Convenient sampling was done. Finally, in the first group, 382 patients received oral AB (two 500 mg cephalexin capsules) and the other 382 patients in the second group received IV AB (1 gr IV cefazolin) before wound management. Both groups were followed and received oral cephalexin during 48 hours after suturing. Rates of wound infection and different complications were compared between the two groups. T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi square and Fisher analysis were used. Results: Both groups had the same age and gender distribution rate (79.8% of males with the mean age of 30.8 years in the first group, and 83.5% of males with the mean age of 32.6 years in the second group (P=0.19 and 0.39, respectively). In our study, wound infection developed in 2.6% and 1.8% of patients in the first and second groups, respectively (P=0.46). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, oral and IV ABs were not significantly different in terms of preventing wound infection.
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