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Fluoride and nitrate are the important factors that influence the drinking water quality. A health risk assessment was performed for exposure to fluoride and nitrate via drinking water ingestion pathway for the inhabitants living in Bardaskan County, Iran. In the present work, totally 30 drinking water samples were collected from private wells, monitoring wells, and boreholes during June 2018, from different previously unexplored rural and urban areas. The concentration of fluoride and nitrate varied from 0.55 to 1.75 mg/L (mean 0.873 mg/L) and from 5.7 to 25.4 mg/L (mean 12.58 mg/L), respectively. None of the 30 studied areas had fluoride, except one place, and nitrate concentrations above WHO guidelines. Hazard index (HI) values for adults, children and infants varied from 0.4160 to 1.1886 (mean 0.6405), from 1.0921 to 3.1203 (mean 1.6813) and from 1.165 to 3.3283 (mean 1.7934), respectively. HI estimated for groundwater in 3.3%, 100%, and 100% cases were found to be above the safety limit of 1 for adults, children, and infants, respectively. This research provides evidence that local residents in Bardaskan County may be at a high risk of health problems caused from fluoride and nitrate in drinking water. It is, therefore, important to take some remedial measures to prevent any health problem in this county. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulphate is an important ion occurring in both natural waters and industrial effluents. Granular ferric hydroxide (GFH), a poorly crystallized β-FeOOH, was used to remove sulphate in a series of batch experiments. Sulphate removal increased with increase in GFH dose and more than 50% of the adsorption happened within the first 15 min of agitation. In addition, sulphate adsorption was influenced by pH and the optimum pH range was 2–7. Adsorption also increased by increasing temperature from 15 to 55°C, indicated the endothermic nature of the process. Among the co-existing anions, phosphate and bicarbonate strongly inhibited the sulphate removal. The kinetics of the process follows the pseudo-second-order with a high correlation coefficient value (R2 > 0.99). Equilibrium tests also showed that the sulphate removal by GFH fitted well with the Freundlich model, which indicated the multilayer adsorption of sulphate and heterogeneous distribution of adsorption sites on GFH surface. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Buck sperm cryopreservation is an effective method to distribute qualified sperm for reproductive purposes, but this procedure reduces sperm quality. The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of L -carnitine (LC) on the quality and epigenetic patterns of buck's post-thawed semen. Semen samples were collected from five male goats twice a week and diluted in extenders supplemented with 0 (LC-0), 1 (LC-1), 5 (LC-5) and 10 (LC-10) mM LC. Samples were cryopreserved according to standard protocol. After thawing, motility characteristics, lipid peroxidation, membrane functionality, abnormal morphology, mitochondrial activity, acrosome integrity, epigenetic modifications, viability, apoptotic-like changes and DNA fragmentation were assessed. Samples supplemented with 5 mM LC showed greater (P ≤ 0.05) total motility, progressive motility, membrane functionality, mitochondrial activity, acrosome integrity, DNA methylation, viability, and lower (P ≤ 0.05) apoptotic-like changes. Lipid peroxidation was lower (P ≤ 0.05) in LC-5 and LC-10 compared to the control group. Addition of LC to the cryopreservation extender had no effect (P > 0.05) on velocity parameters, abnormal morphology, histone modifications, or DNA fragmentation. In conclusion, supplementing the cryopreservation extender with 5 mM LC significantly preserves the quality of buck sperm after the cryopreservation process. • The effects of L -carnitine was evaluated as a cryo-additive for buck semen cryopreservation. • L -carnitine preserved sperm mitochondrial activity, acrosome integrity, DNA methylation and viability. • L -carnitine decreased sperm apoptotic-like changes and lipid peroxidation. • L -carnitine had no effect on sperm morphology, histone modifications and DNA fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental study of parameters on force in the cortical bone milling. • The effect of machining direction on the osteon orientation was investigated. • RSM and Sobol sensitivity analysis were used for this study. • Optimization was performed using Dringer algorithm. Bone milling force is a key factor to be controlled during the orthopedic surgery. Cutting force has significant influence on the breaking of the tools or causing bone cracks. The cutting force depends on machining parameters, cutting tools and the cortical bone tissue. In this paper, rotational speed, feed rate, cutting depth, tool diameter and the osteon orientation are considered as input parameters. For statistical modeling and experimental study, the response surface method was used. Moreover, using the Sobol statistical sensitivity analysis method the effect of each input parameter on the process force is investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results revealed that bone milling force decreases with increasing rotational speed while it increases with feed rate due to an increase in the thickness of the deformed chip as well as an escalation of friction. Moreover, increasing cutting depth due to increased thickness of the deformed chip, increases friction and thus increases cutting force. Additionally, as the diameter of the blade increases, the cutting force increases. Finally, in the perpendicular direction to the osteon, less force is applied to the bone tissue than that of parallel to osteon. Based on Sobol sensitivity analysis, cutting depth (51.4%), feed rate (21.9%), tool rotational speed (19%), milling direction (4.8%) and tool diameter (1.9%) are the most effective respectively. Response optimization was also presented using Derringer algorithm, which provided a minimum cutting force of 3.76 N, when tool diameter of 4 mm, rotational speed of 3000 rpm and feed rate of 100 mm/min and cutting depth of 1 mm were selected in milling perpendicular to the osteon orientation. This research can be used to optimize milling parameters in order to assist robotic surgery and orthopedic tool design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) in type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension. In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 44 patients were randomly divided into vitamin D group (2000 IU/d, n = 23) and placebo group (control, n = 21) for 12 weeks. Vascular function with FMD, Serum 25-OH vitamin D, oxLDL and ICAM1 were assessed at the baseline and after the intervention. This clinical trial was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20191223045861N1). In intervention group serum level of vitamin D increased from 32.42 ± 10.56 to 40.45 ± 12.94 (p < 0.001). In the vitamin D group, oxLDL and ICAM1 significantly decreased and FMD increased significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). The level of oxLDL (p = 0.017) and ICAM1 (p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the vitamin D group than the placebo group and FMD (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in the vitamin D group. Vitamin D supplementation of 2000 IU/d for 12 weeks can improve endothelial function and decrease ICAM1 and oxLDL in type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension. • Vitamin D supplementation can improve endothelial function in diabetic patients with hypertension. • Vitamin D supplementation has amending effects on ICAM1 and ox-LDL levels in diabetic patients with hypertension. • Vitamin D supplementation can be introduced as an adjunct therapy in diabetic patients with hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power performance of a straight blade vertical axis wind turbine augmented with a flat plate deflector was studied. A design of experiment method based on Taguchi's L 16 orthogonal array was employed to optimize the position, orientation, and dimensions of the deflector. Five parameters, including the horizontal distance of the top edge of the deflector from the axis of rotation of the turbine (X), the vertical distance of the top edge of the deflector from the bottom of the blades (W), the length of the deflector (L), the width of the deflector (W), and the angle of the deflector with respect to the axis of rotation of the turbine (φ) were investigated. 16 three-dimensional numerical experiments were conducted to assess the effect of theses parameters on the power output of the wind turbine. Analyzing the results showed that the level of the influence of these five parameters can be ordered as φ > W > X > Y > L, which means that φ has the strongest impact on the performance of the wind turbine and L has the weakest impact. Utilizing the deflector with optimum parameters increased the efficiency of the wind turbine by 16.42 % compare to the bare turbine. • 3D simulation of a vertical axis wind turbine is performed. • The effect of a flat plate deflector on the power output is studied. • The position, orientation, and dimensions of the deflector are optimized. • The Taguchi's method is used to determine the optimum parameters. • The optimum deflector parameters improve the coefficient of power by 16.42%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In orthopedic surgeries, examining the effect of machining conditions are very crucial due to the possibility of damage to the bone tissue, and the occurrence of thermal necrosis. Considering that a comprehensive and methodical study based on the design of experiment method, artificial intelligence modeling and sensitivity analysis can complement the previous investigations, so we found this motivation to explore the behavior of the two important variables of cutting force and temperature in the cortical bone micro-milling operation. Accordingly, in this paper, the effect of micro-milling conditions, including feed rate, tool rotational speed, tool diameter, and cutting depth on cutting force and temperature have been investigated simultaneously. For this purpose, based on the design of experiment technique, the set of experimental tests was performed on fresh cortical bone. Next, a machine learning technique known as support vector regression (SVR) is used to model and predict the force and temperature in the machining procedure. Subsequently, based on the attained model, a big dataset is prepared, and by utilizing the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (EFAST), the effectiveness of the output variables on the input parameters was determined. The SVR predictor achieved the root mean square error of (0.329, 2.133), the mean absolute error of (0.277, 1.820), the mean absolute percentage error of (9.266, 5.353), and the correlation factor of (0.971, 0.904) for (force, temperature). Also, it is realized that, feed rate, rotational speed, cutting depth, and tool diameter, affect the (force, temperature) by (46%, 8.9%), (34%, 9.2%), (15%, 1.5%), and (4%, 80.3%), respectively. By using the attained model of bone micro-milling operation, the surgeons can predict the temperature and force under different machining parameters before the surgery, consequently choosing the optimized machining conditions to reduce the temperature and cutting force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cell membrane of rooster sperm is sensitive to cold due to the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are very susceptible to lipid peroxidation. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of different concentrations of the mitochondrial-targeting antioxidant "MitoQ" on sperm quality and fertility potential of chilled semen in roosters. Semen samples were collected from 10 roosters, diluted in Lake extender, assigned into 5 groups according to MitoQ concentrations (0, 1, 10, 100 and 1000 nM MitoQ) and stored at 5 °C up to 48 h. Motility, mitochondrial activity, viability, membrane integrity, and lipid peroxidation were assessed at 0, 24, and 48 h of cold storage periods. In addition, the fertility potential was assessed using 24 h-cooled semen samples. Our results showed that extender supplementation with MitoQ had no effect (P > 0.05) on chilled semen samples quality parameters at time 0, while at times 24 and 48 h storage, samples contained 100 nM MitoQ presented higher (P ≤ 0.05) total motility, progressive motility, viability and membrane integrity compared to the other groups. In addition, semen samples containing 10 and 100 nM MitoQ showed higher (P ≤ 0.05) mitochondrial activity and lower (P ≤ 0.05) lipid peroxidation than other groups at 24 and 48 h storage. Fertility rate was higher (P ≤ 0.05) when the hens were artificially inseminated with 24 h-chilled semen samples containing 100 nM MitoQ. In conclusion, supplementing Lake Extender with 100 nM MitoQ could be a helpful strategy to preserve chilled semen quality and fertility potential in the rooster. • We analyzed the effects of MitoQ on rooster semen quality during cooling storage. • Using 100 nM MitoQ presented suitable cooled sperm quality during cooling storage. • Cooled semen contained 100 nM MitoQ improved fertility potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study a non-parametric method of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) and MOGA (Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm) were used to estimate the energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reduction of wheat farmers in Ahvaz county of Iran. Data were collected using a face-to-face questionnaire method from 39 farmers. The results showed that based on constant returns to scale model, 41.02% of wheat farms were efficient, though based on variable returns to scale model it was 53.23%. The average of technical, pure technical and scale efficiency of wheat farms were 0.94, 0.95 and 0.98, respectively. By following the recommendations of this study, 3640.90 MJ ha −1 could be saved (9.13% of total input energy). Moreover, 42 optimal units were found by MOGA. The total energy required and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions of the best generation of MOGA were about 23105 MJ ha −1 and 340 kgCO 2eq. ha −1 , respectively. The results revealed that the total energy required of MOGA was less than DEA, significantly. Also, the GHG emissions of present, DEA and MOGA farms were about 903, 837 and 340 kgCO 2eq. ha −1 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus has infected about 141 million people around the world. So far, about 80.4 million people have been discharged, and nearly 3.01 million people have died (an estimated mortality rate of 2.13%). The study aimed to investigate the effect of plasma therapy from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat the patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital of Ilam in 2020. The present prospective study was conducted in 2019–2020. Overall, 57 cases of plasma therapy were analysed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model in STATA 12 software. The results showed in patients receiving plasma treatment, the hazard ratio was (HR = 0.68, 95% CI, 0.45–1.04), indicating a 32% lower risk of death in the COVID-19 patients who received plasma therapy compared to those who did not. However, this relationship does not reach statistical significance (p = 0.07). Plasma therapy seems to yield some efficacy among patients with severe COVID-19 and those who have no underlying diseases. It is recommended to be used in combination with pharmaceutical interventions, for example, Actemra, to assess its therapeutic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of various measures on the thermohydraulic conditions of the circuit and especially the fuel conditions of the reactor in order to minimize the accident effects is vital. Therefore, this work examines the effect of the operator's actions on controlling loss of heat removal through the turbine condenser accident with failure of feedwater supply to steam generators. The BNPP parameters during this accident has been analyzed considering two scenarios (with and without operator action) using the RELAP5 code. The simulation results showed that in case 1, the fuel cladding temperature has risen to 1200 °C within 11,000 s, which is more than the allowed temperature. The operator's actions in case 2 maintain the fuel cladding temperature in the permissible range level. Moreover, these results determine the available time for the operator's actions to prevent further core damage under the conditions that have been considered in the selected scenarios. [Display omitted] • Analyzing specified version of the loss of heat removal through the condenser accident by using RELAP5 code. • Limitation of 1200° C is selected for fuel cladding temperature as the acceptance criteria. • Investigation of the operator control measure's effects on the thermohydraulic behavior of the BNPP during accident. • Assessment of meeting success criteria in different scenario of selected accident. • Determination the available time for the operator's actions for accident prevention and mitigation at selected accident [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]