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Predicting environmental disturbances and evaluating their potential impacts on the habitats of various plant and animal species is a suitable strategy for guiding conservation efforts. Wildfires are a type of disturbance that can affect many aspects of an ecosystem and its species. Therefore, through the integration of spatial models and species distribution models (SDMs), we can make informed predictions of the occurrence of such phenomena and their potential impacts. This study focused on five focal species, namely, the brown bear (Ursus arctos), wild goat (Capra aegagrus), wild sheep (Ovis orientalis), wildcat (Felis silvestris), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). This study used MODIS active fire data and ensemble machine learning methods to model the risk of wildfire occurrence in 2023 for spring, summer, and autumn separately. This study also investigated the suitability of habitats for focal species via SDMs. The predicted probability maps for wildfire risk and habitat suitability were converted to binary values via the true skill statistic (TSS) threshold. The overlap of the habitat suitability map and wildfire occurrence areas was analyzed via GAP analysis. The area prone to fire in spring, summer and winter is equal to 9077.32; 10,199.83 and 13,723.49 KM2 were calculated, which indicates an increase in wildfire risk. Proximity to roads is one of the most important factors affecting the possible effects of wildfires in all seasons. Most fire occurrences are concentrated on agricultural lands, which, when integrated with other land use types, have wildfire potential in all seasons. The use of fire to destroy agricultural residues is a critical factor in the occurrence of wildfires. The distribution range of each focal species is considered the most important component of fire susceptibility. Hence, the suitable habitat for Hyaena hyaena in spring, summer, and autumn, with areas of 5.257, 5.856, and 6.889 km2 respectively, is the most affected by the possibility of fire. In contrast, these areas have the lowest values for Ovis orientalis, with 162, 127, and 396 km2 respectively. Therefore, species that are dependent on human-based ecosystems have the highest vulnerability to wildfire. Conservation efforts should focus on familiarizing farmers with methods of destroying agricultural residues as well as the consequences of intentional fires. The findings of this study can be used to mitigate the negative impacts of wildfire and protect the habitat of focal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing the level of pollution in the urban environment is one of the consequences of Covid-19. Litter are one of the most important urban pollutants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this research, the pollution level of urban areas during the Covid-19 pandemic was investigated by studying the urban environment. To this end, the protocol of observation and counting was used and litter were studied in two groups including common litter and Covid-19 related litter in Yasuj, Iran. The results were interpreted based on the clean environment index (CEI). The time of observation was selected based on the peak of the disease and the decline in the incidence rate. The results showed that on average, at the peak of the disease, the density of the litter was reduced by 19% compared to the low lockdown related to Covid-19. The CEI on average was 4.76 at the peak of the disease that was interpreted in the clean status, while the CEI on average was 5.94 at the low lockdown related to Covid-19 so interpreted in the moderate status. Among urban land uses, recreational areas with a difference of more than 60% showed the greatest impact caused by Covid-19, while in commercial areas this difference was less than 3%. The effect of Covid-19 related litter on the calculated index was 73% in the worst case and 0.8% in the lowest case. Although Covid-19 decreased the number of litter in urban areas, the emergence of Covid-19 lockdown related litter was a cause for concern and led to increasing the CEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Chronic musculoskeletal disorders in the shoulder joint are often associated with myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), particularly in the upper trapezius (UT) muscle. Dry needling (DN) is a treatment of choice for myofascial pain syndrome. However, local lesions and severe postneedle soreness sometimes hamper the direct application of DN in the UT. Therefore, finding an alternative point of treatment seems useful in this regard. Objective: To compare the efficacy of UT versus infraspinatus (ISP) DN on pain and disability of subjects with shoulder pain. The authors hypothesized that ISP DN could be as effective as the direct application of DN in UT MTrP. Design: Single-blind randomized clinical trial. Setting: Sports medicine physical therapy clinic. Participants: A total of 40 overhead athletes (age = 36 [16] y; 20 females and 20 males) with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome were randomly assigned to the UT DN (n = 21) and ISP DN (n = 19) groups. Intervention: An acupuncture needle was directly inserted into the trigger point of UT muscle in the UT DN group and of ISP muscle in the ISP DN group. DN was applied in 3 sessions (2-day interval between each sessions) for each group. Main Outcome Measures: Pain intensity (visual analog scale), pain pressure threshold, and disability in the arm, shoulder, and hand were assessed before and after the interventions. Results: Pain and disability decreased significantly in both groups (P <.001) and pain pressure threshold increased significantly only in the ISP group (P =.02). However, none of the outcome measures showed a significant intergroup difference after treatments (P >.05). Conclusions: Application of DN for active MTrPs in the ISP can be as effective as direct DN of active MTrPs in the UT in improving pain and disability in athletes with shoulder pain, and may be preferred due to greater patient comfort in comparison with direct UT needling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in arid areas, and its quality can affect human health. Groundwater quality investigations were performed to assess the physicochemical quality parameters of groundwater of Northeastern Iran, to determine its suitability for drinking purposes based on the drinking water quality index (WQI). The suitability for drinking purposes was evaluated by comparing the physicochemical parameters of groundwater in the study area with those prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and standard Code of 1053 (Iran National Standard). Five indices were considered to determine water suitability for industrial purposes. A total of 51 water samples were taken based on standard methods (in September 2017 and April 2018) for the measurement of the most important physicochemical parameters, including major anions, cation, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, and electronic conductivity. The WQI values showed that 30.65 and 65.08% of the groundwater samples were in the excellent and very good water quality categories, respectively. Due to the human impact, 4.07% of the samples were in the poor range category. The results demonstrated that based on the Langelier saturation index (LSI), 34.9% of the water distribution network was corrosive. Furthermore, the Larson empirical index showed that 17.46% of the network had a corrosive potential for the occurrence of holes and leakages. The aggressiveness index (AI) categorised 20.6% of the groundwater resource into a moderately aggressive condition. The high values of WQI in several groundwater samples of Neyshabur indicated that water is suitable for direct domestic consumptions. The results also showed that drinking water tends to be corrosion in the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the groundwater quality and human health risks of nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride contamination in rural areas of Khaf County, Iran. For this aim, 28 groundwater samples were collected from open dug wells during August 2018. Twelve parameters (pH, EC, TDS TH, Cl-, SO42-, HCO3−, NO3−, F−, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+) have been used to evaluate the water quality index. Also, point estimation using HQ formula and sensitivity analysis using the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method, by 10,000 repetitions in Oracle Crystal Ball®, were applied to determine the additional risk of non-carcinogenicity in Nitrate, Nitrite, and Fluoride in four groups: infant, children, teenager, and adult. WQI showed that 7%, 60%, 10% and 21% of groundwater samples fall within the class of excellent, good, poor, and very poor quality, respectively. The HQ values of nitrate for infant, children, teenagers, and adults in 32%, 14%, 10% and 7% of the samples from rural areas were above the safe limit of 1. The HQ values of nitrite were mostly acceptable for infants, children, teenagers, and adults in all the rural areas because the mean HQ values of fluoride were lower than 1. Also, the calculated HQ values of fluoride for infants, children, and teenagers in 60.7%, 21.4% and 10% of the rural areas were above the safe limit. The results of HQ point estimation showed that nitrate and fluoride had non-carcinogenic risk in most exposed population groups, but exposure to nitrite did not have non-carcinogenic risk. The results of sensitivity analysis, to determine the most effective parameter in increasing non-carcinogenic risk, showed that the concentration parameter of Nitrate, Nitrite, and Fluoride had the most effect on increasing sensitivity in the four studied exposed groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of fluoride and nitrate in drinking water cause significant impacts on human health. The aim of this research was to estimate the risk to human health induced by fluoride and nitrate due to the intake of the groundwater through drinking water in Sabzevar city, Iran. Eighteen groundwater samples were collected from nine wells in the region during 2018 to determine the fluoride and nitrate concentrations. The non-cancer risk, reflected by the hazard quotient (HQ) and the hazard index (HI), was assessed for adults, children and infants. The water samples had overall mean fluoride and nitrate levels in the range of 0.197–1.32 mg/L and 8.8–47.2 mg/L, respectively. All the wells had fluoride levels below the WHO guideline of 1.5 mg/L. For nitrate, all the wells were within the standard. Among the nine groundwater samples, the total HI values at 22%, 55% and 55% of wells exceeded safe levels of 1 for adults, children and infants, which indicates that the local groundwater is detrimental to these age groups in the mentioned locations. The results of this research could help to develop proper strategies for comprehensive water resource management, particularly by providing scientific documents for decision and management of groundwater sources applied for drinking water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cationic dyes are one of the aromatic compounds that cause major environmental problems. The adsorption process has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this study, the seeds were used as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of cationic Blue 41 dye from aquatic environments. The studied parameters included the effect of adsorbent dosage, pH of the solution, contact time, and the initial concentration of Cationic Blue 41 dye. The removal efficiency in optimal conditions for Cationic Blue 41 with Salvia seeds (concentration = 50 mg/L, dose = 2 g/L, reaction time = 120 min and pH = 9) was obtained 70%. The data were evaluated using Freundlich and Langmuir methods. The structure and characteristics of the seeds were determined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. The SBET and total pure volume for the Salvia seeds were 3.053 m2/g and 0.684 cm3/g. The results showed that the adsorption process follows Langmuir model with an adsorption capacity of 19.16 mg/g. According to the result of the pseudo-first and pseudo-second kinetic study, it was found that the process of dye adsorption on the low-cost seeds best described by pseudo-second kinetic. The findings showed that the Salvia seeds can be used as a natural absorbent, environmentally friendly and affordable treatment for water and wastewater, especially those containing cationic dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]