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Heavy metals are one of the most concerning pollutants in the environment that can enter the food chain. This study aimed to evaluate metals pollution and their bioaccumulation in the farmed wheat ...

Dyes are considered as the most important pollutants in water because of their applications and potential risks for living organisms. Therefore, in this study, the efficiency of CuO/Bi2O3 nanocompo...

Today, crop pesticides are increasingly used to protect crops against pests. These pesticides can infiltrate to water resources via agricultural runoff and accordingly impose serious health risks t...

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of religious cognitive behavioural therapy (RCBT) on general health among Iranians. This study was a randomised, single-blinded clinical trial fr...

Thus, in recent years, a special emphasis is put on resilience rather than vulnerability. This applied descriptive-analytical study has evaluated the social, economic, institutional and physical-environmental dimensions of resilience and their components at the level of households in the city of Yasuj. In this study, a sample size was estimated to be 250 heads of households. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that included questions about socioeconomic characteristics of households and questions assessing dimensions and components of resilience. The results showed that the state of Yasuj city’s resilience against possible earthquake in the economic, institutional and physical-environmental respects and in all aspects has been unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the examination of the effect of underlying factors on the total amount of resilience, the results of the multiple linear regression model showed that with increased staying time in the area of residence and number of peo...

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) process was used to consolidate the Al65Cu20Ti15 metallic glass (AMG) reinforced Al matrix composite at high temperature. The matrix/reinforcement interfacial microstructure of the consolidated composite was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is demonstrated that the mutual diffusion of elements was occurred between the matrix and glass reinforcement during the consolidation process. The imposed severe plastic strains by the ECAP process affected the mutual diffusion and elemental distribution at the interface. Also, microstructural characterizations confirmed that no reaction products have been formed between the matrix and reinforcement particles. An illustrative model was presented to explain the atomic structure of matrix/reinforcement interface region.

The concentration and chemical speciation of Pb, Cd and Ni as well as the total organic carbon (TOC) were studied in surface sediments from nine stations in the Hara Biosphere Reserve. The sequential extraction technique was applied to assess the four (exchangeable, acid-reduction, oxidisable-organic and residual) fractions in surface sediment. This investigation was the first study on the basis of the chemical speciation of Pb, Cd and Ni in surface sediments of Hara Biosphere Reserve. The total concentrations of metals were 31.66–42 μg g-1 for Pb, 3.08–4 μg g-1 for Cd and 36.81–118.9 μg g-1 for Ni. The highest percentages of Pb, Cd and Ni were found in the resistant fractions; 51.42%, 60.11%, 91.71%, respectively, indicating that these metals were strongly bound to the sediments. The degree of surface sediments contamination was determined for the individual contamination factors (ICF). The result of ICF values illustrated that all stations (with the exception of stations 3 and 8 for Pb) did not ...

In recent years, a number of biological processes have been used for bioremediation of TNT contaminated soils. The goal of this research was to select the proper formulation of the compost materials based on mechanically sorted organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) that can provide the proper balance of carbon and nitrogen and the best conditions to promote biological activity in the compost and to reach the highest TNT removal. Seven factors, including TNT contaminated soil (%w/w), trace element solution (%v/w), chicken manure (%w/w), TNT concentration (mg/Kg), microbial suspension (%v/w) of isolated and selected microorganisms from TNT contaminated sites, cow manure (%w/w), and composting condition (aerobic and anaerobic) were considered using Taguchi statistical methods. L8 and L9 orthogonal arrays and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to assess the most significant factors affecting the TNT removal. The optimum conditions to maximize TNT removal were aerobic condition, 35% (w/w) TNT...