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This investigation aimed to scrutinize the level of phthalate esters (PEs) in the landfill leachate of a coastal city in the north of the Persian Gulf and the sensitive ecosystem (soil and water) around it. Soil (two depths) and water samples were prepared from 5 stations in wet and dry seasons. The studied landfill leachate contained 114–303 μg/L of phthalates. The highest concentration of phthalates was related to bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (3257 ng/g) in the wet season at surface soil (0–5 cm) in the landfill site, while the lowest one (6 ng/g) belonged to dimethyl phthalate at sub-surface soil at 700 m from the landfill in the dry season. A significant change in the level of Σ6PEs in the dry (303 μg/L) and wet (114 μg/L) seasons (P ≤ 0.05) was observed for water samples. The PE concentrations in wet times were higher in all soil depths than in dry times. With increasing depth, the content of phthalates decreased in all studied environments. A direct relationship was observed between the phthalates concentration and the pH value of leachate/water and soil. The PEs concentration was linked to electrical conductivity (leachate: R2 = 0.65, P < 0.01 and surface soil: R2 = 0.77, P < 0.05) and the soil organic content. The ecological risk of di-n-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di-n-octyl phthalate in the wet season was greater than one. The results showed that significant levels of phthalate esters are released from landfills to the surrounding environment, which requires adequate measures to maintain the health of the ecosystem and nearby residents. • Phthalate esters (PEs) were studied in soil, leachate, and water around a landfill. • The landfill leachate contained 114–303 μg/L of phthalates. • DEHP in surface soil (3.257 ng/g) in the wet season had the highest level. • The PEs concentration in winter was higher than in summer (P < 0.05). • The eco-risk of DnBP, BzBP, DEHP, and DnOP in wet times in soil was >1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Persian Golf is known as one of the world''s most aggressive environments in the field of corrosion in reinforced concrete. Presence of chloride in see water and especial weather condition including the high temperature and air humidity close to 100%, could lead to occurrence of severe corrosion in concrete structures and reduce their useful life and durability. Floating concrete docks well have their place in the Persian Gulf coasts. ShahidZakeri''s port is one of these areas. This paper reviews the causes of the damage and corrosion in reinforced concrete structures and provides solutions to prevent occurring such defects in future products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we have investigated the differences between the prices of different commercial oils of the Persian Gulf region. The prices of 7 different crude oils from Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were compared with the benchmark light oil of Saudi Arabia over the period January 2000–April 2010. A neural network is introduced to forecast the price of any commercial oil in these crude oils, provided that the price of the benchmark light oil of Saudi Arabia is already known or is predicted by another forecasting method. The designed neural network is able to predict the differences in the oil prices with an average error of 8.82% for testing and 7.24% for training data. It is claimed that the present method can promote the forecasting power of existing models to predict the price of any commercial oil instead of an average or benchmark value. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]