Southern Tehran Research Articles

Plant protein substitution for animal protein and its association with cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers in elderly men: A substitution analysis

BACKGROUND: Substituting different types of protein intake may be associated with cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers. However, there are few studies conducted on elders and the findings are contradictory. OBJECTIVE: We decided to examine the association of substituting plant protein for animal protein with cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers among elderly men. METHOD: The current cross-sectional study included 357 elderly men chosen from health centres in southern Tehran, Iran. They provide written consent to be included in the study. We used a validated and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary intake. All biochemical factors like lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. Waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) were also assessed. The substitution analysis by STATA was used to examine the aforementioned association. RESULTS: Substituting animal protein with plant protein had significant beneficial association with WC (OR: –4.28; 95% CI: –8.51, –0.62; Ptrend = 0.047) and LDL/HDL (OR: –0.26; 95% CI: –0.48, –0.05; Ptrend = 0.018). CONCLUSION: In elderly men, substituting animal protein with plant protein had favorable association with some of cardiovascular risk factors including WC and LDL/HDL but there was no significant association for inflammatory biomarkers.

How global sensitive is the AquaCrop model to input parameters? A case study of silage maize yield on a regional scale

IntroductionAquaCrop is a water-driven crop growth model that simulates aboveground biomass production in croplands. This study aimed to identify the driving parameters of the AquaCrop model for the model calibration and simplification to fill the research gap in intermediate environmental conditions between sub-tropical sub-humid and temperate sub-humid climates for silage maize.MethodsTo this end, we applied global sensitivity analysis (GSA) by combining the Morris method and the Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (EFAST) on crop yield output. The process involved a field sampling of soil and crop of silage maize carried out in the agricultural fields of Ghale-Nou, southern Tehran, Iran, in the summer of 2019 in order to measure certain model parameters.Results and discussionIn compliance with the Morris method, 30 parameters were identified as the least sensitive, while results from the EFAST test showed 9 parameters as contributing to the highest sensitivities in the model. The results clearly point to the capacity of employing a combination of both methods to attain a more efficient model calibration. Particular root, soil, canopy development, and biomass production parameters were influential and merit attention during calibration. Instead, parameters describing crop responses to water stress were acting rather insensitive in this study condition. The insights gained from this study, i.e., assessing parameter ranges and distinguishing between less sensitive and more sensitive parameters based on environmental and crop conditions, have the potential to be applied to other crop growth models with caution.

Pollution Indices and Health Risks Associated with Toxic Trace Elements in Road Dust in Southern Tehran

Pollution Indices and Health Risks Associated with Toxic Trace Elements in Road Dust in Southern Tehran

Biophysical Variable Retrieval of Silage Maize with Gaussian Process Regression and Hyperparameter Optimization Algorithms

Quantification of vegetation biophysical variables such as leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (fCover), and biomass are among the key factors across hydrological, agricultural, and irrigation management studies. The present study proposes a kernel-based machine learning algorithm capable of performing adaptive and nonlinear data fitting so as to generate a suitable, accurate, and robust algorithm for spatio-temporal estimation of the three mentioned variables using Sentinel-2 images. To this aim, Gaussian process regression (GPR)–particle swarm optimization (PSO), GPR–genetic algorithm (GA), GPR–tabu search (TS), and GPR–simulated annealing (SA) hyperparameter-optimized algorithms were developed and compared against kernel-based machine learning regression algorithms and artificial neural network (ANN) and random forest (RF) algorithms. The accuracy of the proposed algorithms was assessed using digital hemispherical photography (DHP) data and destructive measurements performed during the growing season of silage maize in agricultural fields of Ghale-Nou, southern Tehran, Iran, in the summer of 2019. The results on biophysical variables against validation data showed that the developed GPR-PSO algorithm outperformed other algorithms under study in terms of robustness and accuracy (0.917, 0.931, 0.882 using R2 and 0.627, 0.078, and 1.99 using RMSE in LAI, fCover, and biomass of Sentinel-2 20 m, respectively). GPR-PSO also possesses the unique ability to generate pixel-based uncertainty maps (confidence level) for prediction purposes (i.e., estimated uncertainty level <0.7 in LAI, fCover, and biomass, for 96%, 98%, and 71% of the total study area, respectively). Altogether, GPR-PSO appears to be the most suitable option for mapping biophysical variables at the local scale using Sentinel-2 images.

Investigating patterns of air pollution in metropolises using remote sensing and neural networks during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of air pollution in Tehran, Isfahan, Semnan, Mashhad, Golestan, and Shiraz during the Corona era and before. For this purpose, Sentinel satellite images were used to investigate the concentration of Methane (CH4), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), aerosol pollutants in In the era before and during Corona. Furthermore, greenhouse effect-prone areas were determined in this study. In the following, the state of air inversion in the studied area was determined by taking the temperature on the surface of the earth and in the upper atmosphere, as well as the wind speed into account. In this research, the prediction of air temperature for the year 2040 was conducted using the Markov and Cellular Automaton (CA)-Markov methods, considering the impact of air pollution on the air temperature of metropolises. Additionally, the Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) methods have been developed to determine the relationship between pollutants, areas prone to air inversions, and temperature values. According to the results, pollution caused by pollutants has decreased in the Corona era. According to the results, there is more pollution in Tehran and Isfahan metropolises. In addition, the results showed that air inversions in Tehran is the highest. Additionally, the results showed a high correlation between temperature and pollution levels (R2 = 0.87). Thermal indices in the studied area indicate that Isfahan and Tehran, with high values of Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) and being in the 6th class of thermal comfort (Urban Thermal Field Variance Index (UTFVI)), are affected by thermal pollution. The results showed that parts of southern Tehran province, southern Semnan and northeastern Isfahan will have higher temperatures in 2040 (class 5 and 6). Finally, the results of the neural network method showed that the MLP method with R2 = 0.90 is more accurate than the RBF method in predicting pollution amounts. This study significantly contributes by introducing innovative advancements through the application of RBF and MLP methods to assess air pollution levels during the COVID-19 and pre-pandemic periods, while also investigating the intricate relationships among greenhouse gases, air inversion, air temperature, and pollutant indices within the atmosphere. The utilization of these methods notably enhances the accuracy and reliability of pollution predictions, amplifying the originality and significance of this research.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Project in Tehran-Iran, a Feasibility Study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Iran, where there is no organised CRC-screening programme. This study aimed to evaluate feasibility of CRC screening using a qualitative fecal immunochemical test (FIT) among Iranian average-risk adults. In this feasibility study, 7039 individuals aged 50-75 years were invited by community health workers (CHWs) in southern Tehran and its suburban districts between April 2018 and November 2019. The CHWs performed a qualitative FIT with cut-off level 50 ng Hb/mL buffer and referred those with positive-FIT for colonoscopy to the endoscopy center of Shariati hospital in Tehran. Outcomes included acceptance rate, FIT positivity rate, colonoscopy compliance, detection rates and positive predictive values (PPVs) with 95% confidence interval for CRC and advanced adenomas (AAs). Acceptance rate at initial invitation was 71.7%. From 4974 average-risk adults (1600 males and 3374 females) who were offered FIT, 96.8% (n=4813) provided valid samples, of whom 471 (9.8%) tested positive. Among FIT-positive participants, 150 (31.8%) underwent colonoscopy; CRC was detected in 2.0% (n=3) and adenomas in 27.3% (n=41). Detection rate of CRC and AAs per 1000-FIT-screened participants was 0.6 (0.1-1.8) [males: 0.7 (0.01-3.6), females: 0.6 (0.07-2.0)] and 4.2 (2.5-6.4) [males: 5.9 (2.6-11.0), females: 3.4 (1.7-6.0)], respectively. PPVs were 2.0% (0.4-5.7) for CRC and 13.3% (8.3-19.8) for AAs. There was no association between gender and the studied outcomes. Our results partially support the feasibility of scaling up organized CRC-screening through the existing healthcare system in Iran; it remains to be discussed carefully to ensure the capacity of healthcare system for adequate colonoscopy services.

Lipid peroxidation in sheep and cow traditional butter obtaind from southern Tehran, Iran

Butter is popularly known in dairy products and consists of large amounts of milk fat (at least 80%). The risk of oxidation increases by a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids in milk fat and adversely affects the quality and safety of the product. Primary oxidation products are hydroperoxides, which can decompose to form lower molecular weight compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, free fatty acids (FFA), and ketones. This process may give rise to butter rancidity. In this study, 20 samples of traditional butter, including 10 samples of cow butter and 10 samples of sheep butter, were purchased from different traditional dairy product supermarkets in southern Tehran and were analyzed to evaluate the amount of fat oxidation.The peroxide levels in all samples of traditional butter were within the permissible limit established by Iran's national standard. According to the results, it was found that the amount of peroxide in cow butter (1.08 ± 0.12 mEq/kg) is higher than in sheep butter (p=0.037). It may be related to the temperature and time of storage. Therefore, strategies such as diminishing temperatures, maintaining products in a dark environment, removing oxygen by creating a vacuum in the packaging, and using antioxidant compounds can prevent butter oxidation.

Feasibility study of microplastic biodegradation in effluents from South Tehran WWTP after quantitative and qualitative measurement of the particles

Microplastics are currently known to be among the most detrimental environmental. The research on ways to counteract these pollutions and the use of microorganisms for the biological decomposition of various plastic polymers have evolved over the recent years. In this regard, the present study collected effluents from the southern Tehran treatment plant and separated and counted the microplastics present in them, it was found that the least number of microplastics was found in the samples of the summer season and the highest number of microplastics was found in the samples of the spring season. In these samples, particles could be identified in three forms: fiber, fragment, and film, which revealed that the most frequently observed microplastics were polypropylene and then polyethylene. These microplastics combine with the microbes in the culture medium. Three microbial colonies that survived were then separated and identified, which revealed that these bacteria included Achromobacter denitrificans (sample B), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (sample C), and Pseudomonas aestusnigri (sample E). Moreover, the decomposition of polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics exposed to isolates was examined through various methods. Results of cellular gravity examination indicated that the average weight reduction in the PP sample exposed to B and E bacterial isolates was 38.2% and 58.9%, respectively. In the SEM images, the surface of the polymers of these two isolates is more uneven. Moreover, the mean cellular weight reduction for PE-based microplastic exposed to isolate C was 13.3%, the results of FT-IR tests showed that the peaks in the samples exposed to strains B and E were accompanied by changes compared to the control sample (G). The results of the TGA test also confirm the greater effectiveness of the bacterial strain E. It was based on the polymer structure. In the Raman spectrum of sample E, some peaks have been removed and new peaks with other shifts have appeared in their place. Results were confirmed by carbon dioxide emission tests and the produced protein amount.

Hopelessness and Dysfunctional Attitude in Children Under the Support of Child Labor Centers in the South of Tehran in 2021

Background & Aims One of the problems that threatens children in developing countries is the issue of child labor. Working children have lower hope for the future than their normal peers. Working in childhood can have a negative effect on the growth and cognitive performance of children. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of hopelessness and dysfunctional attitudes in working children of southern Tehran. Materials & Methods This is a descriptive-cross-sectional study. The study population consists of all working children and adolescents engaged in child labor aged 10-18 years under the support of child laborers support centers in the south of Tehran. Of these, 247 were selected for the study using a continuous sampling method that lasted 8 months from April to November 2021. The data collection tools were a demographic checklist and the children's dysfunctional attitude scale (DAS) of D’Alessandro and Burton, and the children's hopelessness scale (CHS) of Kazdin (1986). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation test) in SPSS software, version 16. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results The results showed that the average score of hopelessness (5.78±2.60) with a standard deviation of 5.78±2.60 was at a favorable level, among the dimensions of hopelessness, the average score of the dimension of future expectations (3.87±1.87) in hopelessness was higher than the dimension of happiness (2.00±1.39). The average ineffective attitude in the study was 96.16±74.11. Hopelessness only had a statistically significant relationship with the work status of the children in the study (P=0.029). There was no statistically significant correlation between ineffective attitude and hopelessness of working children (P<0.050). Hopelessness only had a statistically significant relationship with the work status of the children in the study (P=0.029). Conclusion It is recommended that interventional studies be conducted to improve the future expectations of children, and focus more on working children whose guardian is someone other than parents. Given the lack of a significant relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and hopelessness in working children in the south of Tehran, it is recommended that the mediating and confounding variables be investigated.

Dietary Patterns in 1125 Iranian Women: Adequacy of Energy and Micronutrient Intakes and Weight Statuses.

Women's nutrition status includes significant effects on their children and household health. The purpose of this study was to assess energy and micronutrient intake adequacy in Iranian women. This study was a part of the Urban HEART Study, which has jointly been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Centre for Health Development, Kobe, Japan. In total, anthropometric and dietary intake data were collected from 1125 women in southern Tehran municipality districts. A 24-h recall questionnaire was completed by the expert nutritionists and the participants' anthropometric statuses were assessed. Food intakes were calculated in grams per capita per day. Micronutrients and energy requirements were adapted from WHO/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) tables and Iran National Food Consumption Survey, respectively. Nearly 71.5% of the women were overweight or obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2]. Furthermore, 1.2% of the women were underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), while 27.3% had normal weight (BMI = 18.5--24.9 kg/m2). The mean bread/cereal and vegetable intakes were significantly higher in obese group, compared to that in normal/under/overweight group (375.6 g/day ± 151.4, P = 0.05; and 331.4 g/day ± 227.5, P = 0.02), respectively]. Women in the lean group significantly consumed higher quantities of cakes/pastries and had the lowest calcium and iron adequacy ratios, compared to other groups (p = 0.001, P = 0.03, and P = 0.05, respectively). These findings suggest that Iranian women, especially those who reside in the southern areas of Tehran, need to change their dietary habits to maintain their health. Moreover, being under/normal weight does not necessarily mean following healthy diets.

Barriers to home care for older adults from perspectives of Iranian informal caregivers: a qualitative study

ObjectiveA longer life expectancy increases the number of older adults who require long-term care. The presence of a caregiver at home prevents the placement of older adults in care facilities....

A new hybrid ensemble approach for the prediction of effluent total nitrogen from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant using a combined trickling filter-activated sludge system.

In this study, different K-nearest neighbors (KNN), support vector regression (SVR), decision tree (DT), and random forest (RF) algorithms integrated with the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOP) have been applied as novel hybrid modeling/optimization tools to predict the total nitrogen in treated wastewater of Southern Tehran Wastewater Treatment Plant (STWWTP). In order to enhance the outcomes of hybrid models, the chosen sub-models (the best and least correlated hybrid models) were used to generate voting average and stacked regression ensemble models. Throughout the preprocessing step, two alternative scenarios were used to handle missing values from the samples, including elimination versus estimation via linear interpolation. The results of this research demonstrated that ensemble models were better than individual hybrid models, although not all ensemble models were superior to single models. The results also revealed that the stacking regression ensemble model using KNN-BOP and SVR-BOP as sub-models was the most superior model among the developed models, with the coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.640, root mean squared error (RMSE) = 2.378, and mean absolute error (MAE) = 1.838 on the test data. The best hybrid ensemble model that can accurately predict the concentration of total nitrogen (TN) in the effluent can give people a heads-up about water pollution caused by eutrophication before it gets bad.

Evaluation of the effect of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior among Iranian taxi drivers through telematics monitoring

Objective Installation of speed cameras is a common strategy to reduce over-speeding; however, there is evidence that their efficacy in speed reduction is limited to the proximity of the camera. This study aimed to evaluate driving speeds in relation to the position of cameras among Iranian taxi drivers. Methods Speed data were collected from April 2020 to January 2021 via telematics devices (using on-board computer, gyroscope, and GPS) installed on taxis in southern Tehran, Iran. All drivers were males above 20 years of age. Throughout the study, taxi drivers were not changed. Eligible road segments were selected based on: a) not containing any obstacle that would cause speed reduction; b) having ≤5 entry/exit points; c) absence of park and ride or taxi stations; and d) availability of at least 5,000 datapoints. The average speed was compared between the camera- and non-camera zones. Camera zone was defined as the area within 300 meters of the speed cameras. Results The telematics system included 2,644,846 datapoints gathered from 50 taxis. Two highways’ segments with three lanes in each direction were included: Tehran-Varamin (18 taxis, 18,978 datapoints) and Ghadir (17 taxis, 8,203 datapoints). On both highways, speed was significantly lower in the camera zones (Tehran-Varamin: 84.9 ± 12.2 km/h versus 86.7 ± 13.7 km/h; P = 0.005; Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (KS) P < 0.001/Ghadir: 68.7 ± 13.7 versus 73.1 ± 11.3; P = 0.008; KS P < 0.001), indicating a V-shaped distribution of speed near the position of cameras (Presence of Kangaroo effect). Drivers were more likely to exceed speed limits in the non-camera zones compared to camera zones (Tehran-Varamin: 14.6% versus 8.4%/Ghadir: 23.1% versus 17.3%). This effect of the cameras was consistently observed in a subgroup analysis based on time of day (daytime versus nighttime). Conclusions Among Iranian taxi drivers in southern Tehran, average speed was significantly lower in the vicinity of speed cameras, suggesting the presence of camera manipulation. Alternative speed control interventions are required to improve the safety of the taxi service.

Associations between dietary intake of B-vitamins and psychological disorders among Iranian women: a cross-sectional study.

B-vitamins affect brain function through multiple pathways. Given limited evidence on the relationship between dietary intake of these vitamins and psychological disorders, we examined dietary intake of vitamin B6-9-12 in relation to psychological disorders among Iranian women. Cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid and reliable FFQ. To assess psychological disorders, we used a version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 validated in Iran. Ten public health centres in southern Tehran, Iran. A total of 447 female participants aged 20-50 years. The median values of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folate) and B12 (cobalamin) were 1·30 mg/d, 313·89 µg/d and 3·99 µg/d, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, dietary vitamin B6 intake was associated with lower odds of depression (OR: 0·54; 95 % CI: 0·31, 0·95; Ptrend: 0·03). However, there was a positive association between dietary vitamin B12 intake with the odds of depression (OR: 2·05; 95 % CI: 1·17, 3·60; Ptrend: 0·01) and psychological distress (OR: 2·00; 95 % CI: 1·17, 3·41; Ptrend: 0·01). No association was found between vitamin B9 with any psychological disorders. Women with higher dietary intakes of vitamin B6 had lower likelihood of depression. However, women with higher dietary intake of vitamin B12 had higher odds of depression and psychological distress. Future prospective studies in different populations are needed to clarify whether B-vitamin deficiency is a cause or consequence of psychological disorders.

Survival Rate of Patients With HIV/AIDS and Related Factors in Tehran, Iran

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a major public health problem in Iran. It imposes heavy costs on governments and affected people. Determining the survival duration of patients and recognizing the related factors can help the disease surveillance system. Objectives: The current study aimed at determining the survival rate and the related factors concerning patients with HIV/AIDS identified in Tehran, Iran. Methods: The study population of the current retrospective cohort consisted of patients with HIV/AIDS covered by the Health Center of Southern Tehran. The data were obtained by referring to the HIV/AIDS care centers and reviewing the patients’ records. Survival rates of the study subjects during 10 years follow-up were calculated. The Cox proportional-hazards model was used to determine the relationship between independent variables and survival of patients with HIV/AIDS. Results: A total of 487 patients were investigated in the current study. Four-hundred thirty-three subjects (88.9%) were male, and 54 (11.1%) female. The mean ± standard deviation of the participants’ age was 44.08 ± 9.00 years. According to univariate analyses, the variables of gender, marital status, education level, occupational status, transmission way, infection with hepatitis C or tuberculosis, and history of antiretroviral treatment were significantly associated with the survival time of patients with AIDS. In the final model, a significant relationship was found between the variables of treatment, coinfection with tuberculosis, occupational status, education level, marital status, and mortality. Conclusions: The current study was one of the few research that examined the survival rate of HIV-infected patients in Iran. Considering the expansion of AIDS epidemic in Iran, it is necessary to take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic and decrease the mortality rate of infected patients through early detection and timely treatment of HIV-positive people coinfected with tuberculosis, creation of employment opportunities for patients and addicted individuals, controlling substance abuse, and paying more attention to harm reduction programs in individuals that have unsafe sex as one of the most important high-risk groups to increase their survival time.

Participatory approach in Aquifer Storage and Recovery management in Arid zones, does it work?

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) with treated wastewater, is considered as an effective solution for a critical aquifer decline due to groundwater overexploitation. In ASR operational step and after the aquifer storage phase, the problem is the new groundwater right for stakeholders and specifically farmers. In a 2-year study, the potential of a participatory approach for solving this problem was investigated and applied in Fashafoeyeh aquifer in southern Tehran Province. This aquifer faces a critical situation of groundwater from point of view of quantitative and qualitative aspects. Firstly, five indicators were considered including agricultural efficiency, water resource efficiency, water governance, local participation, and economic factors. Then 23 farmers and agricultural landowners were selected based on age, education, and gender. A questionnaire was designed, surveyed, and filled out after interviewing them in several field trips to the site. The results of data analysis showed that 96% of farmers and landowners were highly motivated in the implementation of the participatory approach in ASR management. Moreover, 91% showed a high desire to decrease the groundwater withdrawal from wells. A high percentage of stakeholders had a tendency to participate in some aspects of ASR system. In the meantime, many farmers had a negative viewpoint about government supports. The results illustrate a correlation between agriculture efficiency with participation in the government's projects and implementation. Moreover, a correlation exists between water management in the field and participation in government's projects as well as local participatory. This research emphasises on proper planning through face-to-face dialogue with farmers and landowners. In this regard, they collaborate in a participatory approach, as well as a technical and social team to implement the aquifer storage and recovery management.

Non-communicable diseases units: continuity of care factors

Continuity of care in healthcare systems is one of the success measures for improvement of health across communities, especially due to the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the current century. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the continuity of care in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) units. A total of 418 patients from NCD prevention and control units at the Southern Tehran Healthcare Center were selected through systematic random sampling, of whom 189 were contacted successfully and interviewed about their satisfaction with the services received and distance from their place of residence to the health center. About two-thirds of the participants were women. Nearly half of the service receivers were illiterate and educated to elementary level, and only 6 % had a high school diploma or higher. 94% were satisfied with the services provided. There was a positive linear correlation between the number of visits and the number of contacts during the period of observation (r = 0.53, P value < 0.001). Also, the length of patient follow-up by the health center and the number of visits during follow-up for patients with active records were significantly more than for those with inactive records (P value < 0.001). This study showed that satisfaction with services alone was not a principal factor affecting continuity of care. Indeed, we conclude that free screening care should be designed for men, the employed, and educated people. More studies are needed to find out the reasons for non-attendance and the provision of solutions to reduce existing deficiencies.

Source identification of hydrocarbon pollution in water, soil and sediments in southern Tehran

سابقه و هدف: در دنیا پژوهش های زیادی در زمینه توسعه سنجه های مناسب برای منشایابی آلودگی های هیدروکربنی انجام و سنجه هایمختلفی در این زمینه بیان شده اند که به دو دسته داخلی و خارجی تقسیم می شوند. سنجه های خارجی بر پایه ی نسبت فلزهای موجود درنفت، منبع آلودگی هیدروکربنی را تعیین می کنند که نسبت بین فلزهای نیکل و وانادیم برای منشایابی آلودگی هیدروکربنی مورد استفادهقرار می گیرد. در مقابل از سنجه های داخلی، یعنی ترکیب های آروماتیک و آلیفاتیک بطور عمده برای منشایابی آلودگی هیدروکربنی استفادهمی شود. ترکیب های آروماتیک بدلیل اختلاف در واکنش پذیری، حلالیت و ویژگی های ترمودینامیکی بین برخی از جفت ایزومرهای 1PAHs ،این امکان را فراهم می کنند تا از آن ها برای تعیین منشأ آلودگی هیدروکربنی استفاده شود. مواد و روش ها: در بسیاری از مطالعات در زمینه ی منشایابی آلودگی هیدروکربنی تنها یکی از ترکیب های آلیفاتیک یا آروماتیک در یکمحیط آب، خاک و رسوب مورد بررسی قرار می گیرد. ولی در این تحقیق برای منشایابی دقیق تر آلودگی هیدروکربنی در جنوب تهرانترکیب های آروماتیک و آلیفاتیک در سه محیط آب، خاک و رسوب مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. برای تعیین میزان آلودگی تعداد 33 نمونه ازآب، خاک و رسوب منطقه جمع آوری شدند، و نمونه ها پس از جمع آوری بلافاصله به آزمایشگاه منتقل و استخراج ترکیب های هیدروکربنیانجام شد. نمونه های آب از چاه، قنات، آب های سطحی، کانال، نمونه ی خاک از سطح و عمق 50 سانتی متری زمین های کشاورزی، خاک بکرو نمونه های رسوب، از رسوب انباشته شده در کانال، قنات و آب های سطحی جمع آوری شدند. نتایج و بحث: در این مطالعه 16 ترکیب مهم PAHs که از نظر آژانس حفاظت محیط زیست آمریکا سرطانزا اعلام شده اند و ترکیب های آلیفاتیک(C8-C40 )مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. میانگین غلظت ترکیب های PAHs برای نمونه های آب 2127.72ppb ، با محدوده ی ) 5. 147125 - 5(،نمونه های خاک، 6715.79ppb ، با محدوده ی ) 446642 - 5( و نمونه های رسوب 957.27ppb با محدوده ی ) 02 .11992 - 5( می باشد. وبرای ترکیب های آلیفاتیک ) C8-C40 ( میانگین غلظت نمونه های آب 39/50ppm با محدوده ی ) 2. 785 - 5(، نمونه های خاک 1110ppmبا محدوده ی ) 74 .16160 - 5( و نمونه های رسوب 1751.13ppm با محدوده ی) 37 . 30497 - 5( می باشند. منشایابی آلودگی هیدروکربنی درجنوب تهران نشان داد که آلودگی نفتی از نوع پتروژنیک می باشد. بنابراین نتایج بیشترین آلودگی مربوط به نمونه های اطراف حوضچه زائدههای نفتی و در مرتبه ی بعد نمونه های نزدیک لوله های انتقال نفت می باشد که آلودگی هیدروکربنی توانسته به درون آب های زیرزمینی وخاک منطقه نفوذ کند. همچنین آلودگی نفتی موجود در منطقه تنها مربوط به پالایشگاه نفت نبوده بلکه بخشی از آن نیز مربوط به روانابمی باشد که از سطح شهر جمع آوری شده و به کانال ها منتقل، و بصورت مستقیم برای آبیاری زمین های کشاورزی استفاده می شود. با توجه به مقایسه ی مجموعه غلظت ترکیب های PAHs و ترکیب های آلیفاتیک مشاهده شد که بیشترین مجموعه غلظت ترکیب های PAHsبترتیب در خاک، آب و رسوب، و بیشترین مجموعه غلظت ترکیب های آلیفاتیک بترتیب در خاک، رسوب و آب می باشد. باتوجه به ایننکته که ترکیب های هیدروکربنی موجود در ستون آب ته نشین و وارد رسوب های کانال ها می شود و این کانال ها بصورت دوره ای توسطکشاورزان منطقه لایروبی می شوند، امکان تجمع میزان بالای هیدروکربن های نفتی در این محیط ها وجود ندارد به همین دلیل بیشترینتجمع غلظت در محیط خاک می باشد. نتیجه گیری: نتایج حاصل از اندازه گیری و منشایابی هیدروکربن های نفتی در سه محیط آب، خاک و رسوب نشان داد که منطقه ی مطالعاتی آلوده به نفت و آلودگی نفتی از نوع پتروژنیک می باشد که بخش بزرگ این آلودگی مربوط به ریزش های نفتی از پالایشگاه تهران و بخش دیگری از آن مربوط به کانال های جمع آوری رواناب های سطح شهری است که آلوده به ترکیب های نفتی پتروژنیک بودهکه به جنوب تهران منتهی می شوند.

Education of Teachers with Chronic Low Back Pain Based on Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction

Background: Individuals suffering from chronic low back pain (CLBP) experience major physical, social, and occupational disruptions. Strong evidence confirms the effectiveness of Alexander technique (AT) training for CLBP. Objectives: The present study applied an integrative model of behavioral prediction (IM) to design AT training for education of teachers with CLBP. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted on female teachers with non-specific LBP in southern Tehran in 2014. The intervention group consisted of 42 teachers (AT training based on IM) and the control group included 35 teachers (AT training only). The validity and reliability of the 108-item AT questionnaire based on IM constructs were confirmed using content validity (CVR 0.87, CVI 0.96) and Cronbach’s α (0.84). Data were analyzed by Independent and Paired Sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon, and covariance. Results: The results of the study indicated that AT behaviors, skills and abilities, direct and indirect perceived behavioral control, indirect subjective norms, direct and indirect attitude, and perceived risk were higher in the intervention group three months after the intervention (all P values < 0.05). Disability score (P < 0.001), hand to floor test (P = 0.023), and pain frequency (P = 0.022) showed a significantly higher reduction in the intervention group. Conclusions: The IM educational framework coupled with AT training may facilitate applying AT directions and finally, lead to pain reduction in CLBP.

Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management under uncertainty: A tri-echelon city logistics and transportation context

The growing challenge of Municipal Solid Waste Management in mega-cities calls for development of practical decision-making support tools to assist authorities in City Logistics and Urban Planning. This study aims to optimize the logistics network and transportation system of ISWM where the complete chain of MSW/residue is formulated as a tri-echelon ISWM logistics network. Assuming various levels of complexity of a realistic ISWM system, a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is developed to formulate the ISWM system in the framework of the Fleet Size and Mix Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. Addressing uncertainty in ratios of MSW generation, a two-stage stochastic optimization approach is proposed to effectively support the cost-effective ISWM transportation system by determining the optimal fleet size and decomposition, vehicles routes and capacity-allocation to the system components. The proposed approach successfully was applied to a real case of ISWM in southern Tehran, Iran. The numerical experiments showed the usefulness of the approach to minimize the economic costs of the system under uncertainty. Furthermore, the results verified the strength and effectiveness of the method when experiencing larger deviations between the estimated and actual amounts of the uncertain parameter and in cases of unplanned disruptions in the system network.