Making spatial development scenario for south of Bushehr province,Iran, based on strategic foresight

In recent years, the science of foresight has been entered into planning activities by urban and regional planners and this science has impacted on planning activities. This study discusses spatial development in the south of Bushehr province using the foresight approach. The general aim of this research is to compile scenarios for the development of the mentioned study area which comprises the southern part of Bushehr province including four counties of Dayyer, Jam, Kangan and Asaluyeh. The main reason for selecting this region is their direct impressibility by major changes in the country’s oil and gas industry. This research has extremely made use of the Delphi and cross-impact analysis methods to develop foresight scenarios. Using the Delphi method, 30 initial factors were identified in the economic, political-security, linkages, science and technology, manufacturing, natural, social, infrastructural and residential issues and then the cross-impact matrix was used to investigate the impact of factors on each other. In the next step, the ranking of direct and indirect factors was determined by Micmac software and on this basis, the final refining in the selection of drivers was done. In the final stage, axes of future scenarios were presented and then the future scenarios were drawn. Results of this research indicate that two main drivers namely Iran’s international relations and energy resources are the main axes of scenarios. These two drivers have more uncertainty and higher importance than other factors and the results in four scenarios showing the possibility of each situation’s occurrence.     

Application of a Second-Order Kinetic Model to a Complex Melt Polymerization Reaction

A novel copolymer system has been synthesized using methyl hydroquinone diacetate (MHQDA), 1,4 naphthalene dicarboxylic acid (1,4 NDCA), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) using the melt polymerization technique. The optimum kinetic parameters pertinent to this system are reported in this study. A simple second-order reaction sequence summarizes catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions between MHQDA, 1,4 NDCA, and PBT. The kinetic parameters for the copolymerization reaction were determined using a new second-order model. This technique was used to compute the moles of acetic acid generated in the polymerization process. The model was compared to that of the experimentally determined data. Close comparison (percentage error of less than 5%) was obtained between the experimental and theoretical data. The kinetic data support block copolyester formation. The thermal data also supports formation of block polymers.     

Validation of plant based bioassays for the toxicity testing of Indian waters

Plant-based bioassays have recently gained remarkable popularity among the toxicological/eco-toxicological assessment procedures. The reasons for their wide use are comparative simplicity, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness as well as a good correlation with other toxicity tests. The present study describes the use of two plant bioassays, Allium cepa test and seed germination test in the evaluation of the toxicity/genotoxicity of industrial waste water and river water and standardization with the commonly occurring pollutants in Indian waters namely heavy metals and phenolics. Both tests were standardized to suit the Indian conditions, and the local varieties were used. Both bioassays responded significantly with the test range of heavy metals and phenolics. The toxicity of heavy metals was in the order of Cu > Ni > Cd in both the tests whereas 2,4-dinitrophenol was the most toxic among the phenolic compounds. Cabbage, millet, and cucumber, respectively, were found to be the most sensitive in the seed germination test for the test heavy metals and phenols. Significant amounts of chromosomal abnormalities including bridges, stickiness, and fragmentations were recorded with both the industrial waste water and the XAD concentrated river water samples by A. cepa test.     

Development and evaluation of air pollution–linked quality of life (AP-QOL) questionnaire: insight from two different cohorts

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the air pollution–related quality of life (AP-QOL) questionnaire was carried out in two geographically and economically different...     

Aero-lap polishing of poly crystalline diamond inserts using Multicon media

Increasing use of poly crystalline diamond (PCD) inserts as cutting tools and wear parts is vividly seen in automobile, aerospace, marine and precision engineering applications. The PCD inserts undergo series of manufacturing processes such as: grinding that forms the required shape and polishing that gives a fine finish. These operations are not straight forward as PCD is extremely resistant to grinding and polishing. Single crystal diamond can easily be polished by choosing a direction of easy abrasion, but polishing a PCD imposes serious difficulties as the grains are randomly oriented. Prior research on polishing of PCD inserts includes electro discharge grinding (EDG), dynamic friction polishing and grinding by a vitrified bonded diamond wheel. The surface textures of PCD produced using an EDG process often contains: micro cavities, particle pullout, micro-grooves, chipped edges, cracks and gouch marks. While applying the dynamic friction polishing method the PCD material undergoes phase transformation and hence increased polishing rate was apparently seen. However the phase transformation of PCD deteriorates the strength of the insert. Furthermore the inserts produced using the dynamic polishing method often exhibits cracks, chip off and edge damage while using as a cutting tool. Therefore, a new method “aero-lap polishing” was attempted as it applies controlled amount of impinging force by which the surface damage can be significantly reduced. The study did establish an improvement of surface finish of PCD from R_a = 0.55 μm, R_t = 4.5 μm to R_a = 0.29 μm, R_t = 1.6 μm within 15–25 min of polishing time along with significant reduction in surface defects.     

Assessing groundwater quality and its sustainability in Joypurhat district of Bangladesh using GIS and multivariate statistical approaches

Sustainable groundwater quality is a key global concern and has become a major issue of disquiets in most parts of the world including Bangladesh. Hence, the assessment of groundwater quality is an important study to ensure its sustainability for various uses. In this study, a combination of multivariate statistics, geographical information system (GIS) and geochemical approaches was employed to evaluate the groundwater quality and its sustainability in Joypurhat district of Bangladesh. The results showed that the groundwater samples are mainly Ca–Mg–HCO₃ type. Principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that geogenic sources (rock weathering and cation exchange) followed by anthropogenic activities (domestic sewage and agro-chemicals) were the major factors governing the groundwater quality of the study area. Furthermore, the results of PCA are validated using the cluster analysis and correlation matrix analysis. Based on the groundwater quality index (GWQI), it is found that all the groundwater samples belong to excellent to good water quality domains for human consumption, although iron, fluoride and iodide contaminated to the groundwater, which do not pose any significant health hazard according to World Health Organization’s and Bangladesh’s guideline values. The results of irrigation water quality index including sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), permeability index and sodium percentage (Na %) suggested that most of the groundwater samples are good quality water for agricultural uses. The spatial distribution of the measured values of GWQI, SAR, Fe (iron), EC (electrical conductivity) and TH (total hardness) were spatially mapped using the GIS tool in the study area.     

Environmental geochemistry of higher radioactivity in a transboundary Himalayan river sediment (Brahmaputra,Bangladesh): potential radiation exposure and health risks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study of a downstream segment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh) of one of the longest transboundary (China-India-Bangladesh) Himalayan rivers reveals...     

Elimination of endocrine disrupting chemicals nonylphenol and bisphenol A and personal care product ingredient triclosan using enzyme preparation from the white rot fungus Coriolopsis polyzona

The biocatalytic elimination of the endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) and the personal care product ingredient triclosan (TCS) by the enzyme preparation from the white rot fungus Coriolopsis polyzona was investigated. Analysis of variance methodology showed that the pH and the temperature are statistically significant factors in the removal of NP, BPA and TCS. The elimination of NP and TCS was best at a temperature of 50 degrees C and the disappearance of BPA at 40 degrees C, whereas the most suitable pH for all three micropollutants was 5. After a 4-h treatment of the three target compounds at concentrations of 5 mg l(-1) all of the NP and BPA were eliminated. In the case of TCS, 65% was removed after either a 4 or an 8-h treatment. The utilisation of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) in the laccase/mediator system significantly increased the efficiency of the enzymatic treatment. The elimination of NP and BPA was directly associated with the disappearance of the estrogenic activity. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that the enzymatic treatment produced high molecular weight metabolites through a radical polymerization mechanism of NP, BPA and TCS. These oligomers were produced through the formation of C-C or C-O bonds. The polymerization of NP produced dimers, trimers, tetramers and pentamers which had molecular weights of 438, 656, 874 and 1092 amu respectively. The polymerization of BPA produced dimers, trimers and tetramers which had molecular weights of 454, 680 and 906 amu. Finally, the polymerization of TCS produced dimers, trimers and tetramers which had molecular weights of 574, 859 and 1146 amu.     

GIS-based urban sustainability assessment: The case of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia

This paper applies an integrated approach to assessing urban sustainability in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia. The approach, based on geographic information systems (GIS), involves the evaluation of the planning process, the master plan and the land use activities resulting from planning. It concludes that some aspects of sustainability are not addressed by the planning process and the plan document. The planning process and the plan document addressed economic sustainability issues more than social and environmental issues. The result of the GIS-based sustainability assessment of the study area produces similar findings. The paper develops a sustainable planning guidance and makes some recommendations based on the findings.     

Phytoavailability and potential transfer of Pb from a salt-affected soil to Atriplex verucifera,Salicornia europaea and Chenopodium album

The phytoavailability and potential transfer of Pb to Atriplex verucifera, Salicornia europaea and Chenopodium album in two calcareous soils with different salinity/sodicity were compared. The soils were spiked with 0, 250, 500 and 1000 mg Pb kg^?1 soil. Plant shoots were harvested and analysed for total Pb after they had been grown in the contaminated soils. Visual MINTEQ 3.0 was used to calculate the speciation of soluble Pb in the experimental soils. Results showed that although the concentrations of 1 M NH₄NO₃-extractable Pb were relatively similar, speciation of Pb in the soils were not the same. Salicornia europea was found to be the most salinity/sodicity-tolerant plant. When the plants were grown in non-saline soil, the Pb tolerance of the three plants was as follows: A. verucifera > C. album >S. europea, whereas in saline (sodic) soil, Pb tolerance was in the order S. europea > C. album > A. verucifera. Lead phytotoxicity to A. verucifera and C. album was higher in the saline soil, whereas for S. europea, Pb toxicity was higher in the non-saline soil. It could be concluded that the phytoavailability of Pb and its interactions with plants are widely dependent on soil salinity level and type of plant.