Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) removal from aqueous solution through N-doped porous copper-carbon composite derived from recycled copper obtained from fly ash incinerator: Water decontamination via municipal waste remnants.

Invincible growth in waste production is the consequence of overpopulation, which should be addressed to reduce the occupied landfill surface needed for their disposal and to alleviate the leachate of extremely hazardous material into the soil and water bodies. In this study, copper (Cu) was extracted from fly ash of a municipal solid waste incinerator by an electro-chemical method, which was optimized to recover the highest amount of Cu, and then it was chelated with 4-aminobenzoic acid (AM) and terephthalic acid (TM) in an aqueous phase. The obtained composites were then heated to form a porous calcinated copper-carbon composite and utilized to adsorb the forever contaminant of PFOS from aqueous solutions.

Monte Carlo Model Validation of 6MV Beam of OMID, the First Iranian Linear Accelerator.

Monte Carlo (MC) techniques are regarded as an accurate method to simulate the dose calculation in radiotherapy for many years. The present paper aims to validate the simulated model of the 6-MV beam of OMID linear accelerator (BEHYAAR Company) by EGSnrc codes system and also investigate the effects of initial electron beam parameters (energy, radial full width at half maximum, and mean angular spread) on dose distributions. For this purpose, the comparison between the calculated and measured percentage depth dose (PDD) and lateral dose profiles was done by gamma index (GI) with 1%-1 mm acceptance criteria.

Risk control of heavy metal in waste incinerator ash by available solidification scenarios in cement production based on waste flow analysis.

Incineration is a common method in municipal solid waste management, which has several advantages such as reducing the volume of waste, but with concerns about exhaust gas and ash management. In this study, heavy metals in bottom ash, secondary furnace ash and fly ash of two waste incinerators in Tehran and Nowshahr were analyzed and its control in cement production was investigated. For this purpose, twelve monthly samples of three types of incinerator ash were analyzed.

Factors affecting the choice of treatment center by infertile couples: A cross-sectional study in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute.

Background: Infertility is one of the critical health issues in Iran. There are more than 70 specialized infertility treatment centers in Iran, of which the Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, is one of the most important ones.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the factors influencing infertile couples' choice of Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute.

Effect of formalin percentage, incubation time and temperature on Clostridium chauvoei culture inactivation and immunogenicity.

Objectives: In order to find the optimal inactivation conditions for Clostridium chauvoei culture, different factors were investigated and the immunogenicity of inactivated cultures was studied.

Methods: C. chauvoei was cultured with different formalin percentages (0.

Immobilization of polypyrrole on waste face masks using a novel in-situ-surface polymerization method: removal of Cr(VI) from electroplating wastewater.

In this work, polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized on the surface of waste surgical face masks (SFM) with a novel environmentally-friendly in-situ-surface polymerization approach and used as an adsorbent for removing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). In this method, the SFM surface was activated using KMnO, resulting in the immobilization of porous MnO, on which pyrrole can be polymerized efficiently. The novelty of this method is the presence of the oxidant on the surface before the polymerization step, which results in a better surface modification with polypyrrole.

Solid-Phase Reference Baths for Fiber-Optic Distributed Sensing.

Observations from Raman backscatter-based Fiber-Optic Distributed Sensing (FODS) require reference sections of the fiber-optic cable sensor of known temperature to translate the primary measured intensities of Stokes and anti-Stokes photons to the secondary desired temperature signal, which also commonly forms the basis for other derived quantities. Here, we present the design and the results from laboratory and field evaluations of a novel Solid-Phase Bath (SoPhaB) using ultrafine copper instead of the traditional mechanically stirred liquid-phase water bath. This novel type is suitable for all FODS applications in geosciences and industry when high accuracy and precision are needed.

Optimizing the effect of hydrochar on anaerobic digestion of organic fraction municipal solid waste for biogas and methane production.

Background: Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the biological waste treatment method for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). AD is notable for its ability to reduce volume and produce biogas from waste. However, the conventional AD of OFMSW has a low degradation rate.

Determining the appropriate mixing ratio in a multi-substrate anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes employing Taguchi method.

The current research proposed a method for optimally combining feed input ratios in order to improve the quantity and quality of daily biogas production through optimizing the variable response level in the Taguchi method. The anaerobic digestion (AD) process of an existing plant in Iran was simulated through a set of two-stage pilot reactors under mesophilic temperature conditions in order to achieve optimal operational performance. Three common substrates (organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, fruit and vegetable wastes, and horse manure) along with two recirculated materials; the post-digestion sludge and the secondary digester slurry, were investigated in 16 experimental runs based on four different pre-surface hypotheses.

Serum neurofilament light chain predicts long term clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis.

Serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) is emerging as an important biomarker in multiple sclerosis (MS). Our objective was to evaluate the prognostic value of serum NfL levels obtained close to the time of MS onset with long-term clinical outcomes. In this prospective cohort study, we identified patients with serum collected within 5 years of first MS symptom onset (baseline) with more than 15 years of routine clinical follow-up.

Neurotoxicity after hematopoietic stem cell transplant in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Accelerated brain volume loss has been noted following immunoablative autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IAHSCT) for multiple sclerosis. As with other MS treatments, this is often interpreted as 'pseudoatrophy', related to reduced inflammation. Treatment-related neurotoxicity may be contributory.

Can we predict benign multiple sclerosis? Results of a 20-year long-term follow-up study.

Benign multiple sclerosis (MS) is a discussed clinical entity, with variable reported prevalence (6-64%) requiring at least 5-10 years of clinical observation. Moreover, many benign patients progress with time becoming no longer benign (NLB). The objective of this study is to compare benign MS patients (EDSS ≤3, 10 years from disease onset) who still fulfilled the definition at 20 years to those NLB.

The evaluation of MRI diffusion values of active demyelinating lesions in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Gadolinium (Gd) enhancement of lesions is the main radiologic marker for detection of activity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This study compares Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) characteristics and enhancement to determine whether DWI can be used as an alternative to Gd administration.

Methods: A retrospective study of 72 patients who had MRI with Gd and DWI.

The effects of co-substrate and thermal pretreatment on anaerobic digestion performance.

Unlabelled: The influence of anaerobic co-digestion of leachate and sludge with organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) under mesophilic condition in three batch digesters of 5 L capacity has been studied. OFMSW was mixed with leachate and sludge at three different ratios. Experimental results illustrated that the digester with a ratio of 2000/2500 (leachate (mL) or sludge/OFMSW (mL)) had significantly higher performance.

Stimulation of the hydrolytic stage for biogas production from cattle manure in an electrochemical bioreactor.

Electrical current in the hydrolytic phase of the biogas process might affect biogas yield. In this study, four 1,150 mL single membrane-less chamber electrochemical bioreactors, containing two parallel titanium plates were connected to the electrical source with voltages of 0, -0.5, -1 and -1.

Neuro-oncology dilemma: Tumour or tumefactive demyelinating lesion.

Tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDLs) are not an uncommon manifestation of demyelinating disease but can pose diagnostic challenges in patients without a pre-existing diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as in known MS patients. Brain tumours can also arise in MS patients and can be seen in chronic MS patients as co-morbidities. Delayed diagnosis or unnecessary intervention or treatment will affect the ultimate prognosis of these patients.

Neurosarcoidosis as an MS Mimic: The trials and tribulations of making a diagnosis.

The clinical presentation of neurosarcoidosis is varied as multiple levels of the neuraxis may be affected. When central nervous system involvement occurs, making an accurate diagnosis of the condition can be challenging, especially given the current definition for definite neurosarcoidosis requires histologic confirmation of the affected tissue (brain biopsy). This article will review our current knowledge and manifestations of neurosarcoidosis, discuss the current diagnostic approach as well as the challenges associated with a condition requiring histologic confirmation, discuss the current treatment approach, and highlight the challenges of this diagnosis with a few real-life clinical cases.

Evaluating response to disease-modifying therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Despite the broadening range of available treatments, the response of multiple sclerosis patients to disease-modifying therapies remains quite heterogeneous, thus a scheme is required in order to flag individuals achieving a suboptimal treatment response, so that they may switch to a different, possibly more effective disease-modifying therapy. There are several treatment outcomes that can be defined as surrogate markers for continued treatment efficacy and can be used for optimizing disease-modifying therapy. As no single marker is validated, we must make use of all available potential surrogates to help predict the future course of the disease.

Attenuation of municipal landfill leachate through land treatment.

The treatment of municipal landfill's leachate is considered as one of the most significant environmental issues. In this study a laboratory experiment was conducted through land treatment, achieving an efficient and economical method by using Vetiver plant. Moreover, the effects of land treatment of leachate of municipal landfills on the natural reduction of organic and inorganic contaminants in the leachate after the pre-treatment in the Aradkouh disposal center are invested.

A performance-based method for calculating the design thickness of compacted clay liners exposed to high strength leachate under simulated landfill conditions.

Compacted clay liners (CCLs) when feasible, are preferred to composite geosynthetic liners. The thickness of CCLs is typically prescribed by each country's environmental protection regulations. However, considering the fact that construction of CCLs represents a significant portion of overall landfill construction costs; a performance based design of liner thickness would be preferable to 'one size fits all' prescriptive standards.

Characterization of oily sludge from a Tehran oil refinery.

In this study, oily sludge samples generated from a Tehran oil refinery (Pond I) were evaluated for their contamination levels and to propose an adequate remediation technique for the wastes. A simple, random, sampling method was used to collect the samples. The samples were analyzed to measure Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and heavy metal concentrations in the sludge.