The impacts of Persian Gulf water and ocean-atmosphere interactions on tropical cyclone intensification in the Arabian Sea.

During the last two decades, the number of tropical cyclone (TC) events in the Arabian Sea has increased dramatically. These events have led to severe human and economic damage in Oman, Iran and Pakistan. Within this context, Gonu, Phet and Shaheen were the Arabian Sea's most destructive TCs on record, leading to a total of 6.07 billion USD in damages and 159 fatalities. Previous studies have mainly focused on atmospheric, sea surface temperature (SST) and anthropogenic impacts of TC generation and intensification. By contrast, oceanographic currents, Persian Gulf water outflow and the role of ocean-atmospheric interactions on the distribution of outflow water into the Arabian Sea and their impacts on TC intensification, are poorly understood. In order to address this issue, we use historical TC records, satellite data, atmospheric and reanalyzed oceanographic data to shed new light on the relationship between large-scale atmospheric forcing and ocean currents on TC intensification in the Arabian Sea. The results demonstrate that pre-monsoon TCs mainly occurred during co-existing La Niña, cold Indian Ocean Basin Model (IOBM) and anomalous northern hemisphere circulations over the Persian Gulf. By contrast, post-monsoon TCs were generally generated during warming acceleration period. Poleward movement of the monsoon belt provided the required humidity and energy for TC generation and increased upwelling events. Water salinity and temperature have increased in the north and northwestern parts of the Arabian Sea following rising upwelling events and a decrease in Persian Gulf outflow water depth. Rapid TC intensification has increased noticeably since 2007 and >72 % of cyclones have reached category 3 or more. We find that the rate of SST rise in the Arabian Sea is higher than the other parts of the northern Indian Ocean since 1998. SST and salinity in the Arabian Sea have been controlled by Persian Gulf outflow water and oceanographic currents. TC intensity is controlled by warm and saline (>36.6 PSU) water distribution patterns, mediated by eddy and jet currents. Rapid intensification of pre-monsoon TCs occurred by tracking to the north and northwest, with most landfalls occurring during this period. Post-monsoon TCs generally affect the center and the southwest of the Arabian Sea. The risk of intensive TCs manifests an increasing trend since 2007, therefore education programs via international platforms such as the International Ocean Institute (IOI) and UNESCO are required for the countries most at risk.

Drug-based therapeutic strategies for COVID-19-infected patients and their challenges.

Emerging epidemic-prone diseases have introduced numerous health and economic challenges in recent years. Given current knowledge of COVID-19, herd immunity through vaccines alone is unlikely. In addition, vaccination of the global population is an ongoing challenge. Besides, the questions regarding the prevalence and the timing of immunization are still under investigation. Therefore, medical treatment remains essential in the management of COVID-19. Herein, recent advances from beginning observations of COVID-19 outbreak to an understanding of the essential factors contributing to the spread and transmission of COVID-19 and its treatment are reviewed. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion on the epidemiological aspects, clinical symptoms and most efficient medical treatment strategies to mitigate the mortality and spread rates of COVID-19 is presented.

Anomaly detection in watershed hydrological behavior due to land use changes in Eskandari Watershed, Iran.

In this study, SWAT hydrological model was used to differentiate the effects of drought and changes in land use on hydrological balance of the system in Eskandari Watershed area. To this end, The SWAT model was implemented separately using other user maps to investigate the impact of land use changes on the hydrological cycle of the watershed. Additionally, Van Loon model was used to investigate the effects of drought and water scarcity on discharge. The results showed that the watershed area could meet its environmental needs due to an 11% decrease in rainfall and droughts in 2008 and 2009. Additionally, the average monthly simulated flows were 2.4 m3/s and 2.9 m3/s in the natural and turbulent periods, respectively, indicating a decrease of nearly 18%, which is related to the 11% decrease in rainfall in this Watershed. Furthermore, the average observational flow in the turbulent period was 4 mm, which showed a growth of nearly 13% in comparison to the observational flow in the turbulent period. Decreased rainfall and increased discharge in this period indicated the effect of land use change and human activities on the catchment.

A comparison of the effect of the active release and muscle energy techniques on the latent trigger points of the upper trapezius.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The increasing use of computer in daily life has brought about numerous musculoskeletal problems. Impairments in the head, neck and shoulders are more common compared with the other parts of the body. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two manual treatments in two separate groups, i.e., active release technique (ART) and muscle energy technique (MET) on the latent trigger points (LTrPs) in the upper trapezius muscle. The set criteria in the study included the active range of cervical lateral flexion, pain intensity on the visual analog scale (VAS), and the upper trapezius muscle thickness. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This clinical trial study assessed the outcome measures within and between groups before and after the intervention. The target population were 64 (32 males, 32 females) participants who had been selected from among the staff members and the students of a rehabilitation school, and the employees of an engineering company who had LTrPs in their upper trapezius muscle and were from 18 to 50 years old. RESULTS: The immediate effects of MET and ART on the patients of each groups with LTrPs in their upper trapezius muscle were increased active range of cervical lateral flexion (P < 0.001), decreased pain intensity on VAS (P < 0.05) and decreased thickness of the upper trapezius muscle (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Both manual techniques of ART and MET reduced the symptoms of LTrPs in the upper trapezius in the two groups equally, neither technique being superior to the other.

Use of solvent mixtures for total lipid extraction of Chlorella vulgaris and gas chromatography FAME analysis.

Lipid extraction is the bottleneck step for algae-based biodiesel production. Herein, 12 solvent mixture systems (mixtures of three non-polar and two polar organic solvents) were examined to evaluate their effects on the total lipid yield from Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris). Moreover, the extraction yields of three solvent systems with maximum extraction efficiency of esterifiable lipids were determined by acidic transesterification and GC-FID analysis. Three solvent systems, which resulted in a higher extraction yield, were further subjected to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. The total lipid extraction yields (based on dry biomass) were (38.57 ± 1.51), (25.33 ± 0.58), and (25.17 ± 1.14) %, for chloroform-methanol (1:2) (C1M2), hexane-methanol (1:2) (H1M2), and chloroform-methanol (2:1) (C2M1), respectively. The extraction efficiency of C1M2 was approximately 1.5 times higher than H1M2 and C2M1, whereas the FAME profile of extracted lipids by H1M2 and C1M2 were almost identical. Moreover, the esterifiable lipid extraction yields of (18.14 ± 2.60), (16.66 ± 0.35), and (13.22 ± 0.31) % (based on dry biomass) were obtained for C1M2, H1M2, and C2M1 solvent mixture systems, respectively. The biodiesel fuel properties produced from C. vulgaris were empirically predicted and compared to that of the EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 standard specifications.

Validated Spectrophtometric Method for Simultaneous Determination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms.

Buprenorphine is a partial mu agonist and kappa antagonist which is used for the treatment of pain and opioid addiction. A mixture of buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride has been approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. In this study a third order derivative spectrophotometric method based on zero-crossing technique has been used for the simultaneous determination of buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride in tablets. The measurements were carried out at wavelengths of 257.8 (zero-crossing point of naloxone hydrochloride) and 252.2 nm (zero-crossing point of buprenorphice hydrochloride) for buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride, respectively in the third order derivative spectra obtained in methanol and 0.1 M NaOH (50:50) as solvent. The method was found to be linear in the range of 20-80 µg/mL for buprenorphine hydrochloride and 5-20 µg/mL for naloxone hydrochloride. The within-day and between-day coefficient of variation and error values were less than 2.5% and 1.8%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully used for simultaneous determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical dosage form without any interference from excipients or need to prior separation before analysis.

Thin chitosan films containing super-paramagnetic nanoparticles with contrasting capability in magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic nanoparticles have found application as MRI contrasting agents. Herein, chitosan thin films containing super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are evaluated in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To determine their contrasting capability, super-paramagnetic nanoparticles coated with citrate (SPIONs-cit) were synthesized. Then, chitosan thin films with different concentrations of SPIONs-cit were prepared and their MRI data (i.e., r 2 and r 2*) was evaluated in an aqueous medium. The synthesized SPIONs-cit and chitosan/SPIONs-cit films were characterized by FTIR, EDX, XRD as well as VSM with the morphology evaluated by SEM and AFM. The nanoparticle sizes and distribution confirmed well-defined nanoparticles and thin films formation along with high contrasting capability in MRI. Images revealed well-dispersed uniform nanoparticles, averaging 10 nm in size. SPIONs-cit's hydrodynamic size averaged 23 nm in diameter. The crystallinity obeyed a chitosan and SPIONs pattern. The in vitro cellular assay of thin films with a novel route was performed within Hek293 cell lines showing that thin films can be biocompatible.

Additive-free harvesting of oleaginous phagotrophic microalga by oil and air flotation.

A unique oleaginous phagotrophic microalga Ochromonas danica is poised for effective lipid production from waste. Cell harvesting and dewatering are major costs in making algae-based products. In this work an effective additive-free harvesting method was developed, taking advantage of O. danica's comparatively more hydrophobic surface and larger size. The algal cells' partitioning to oil/water interface was evaluated. Recovery by flotation with waste cooking oil was optimized using an L-9 Taguchi orthogonal-array design. Further, additive-free cell collection and concentrating by air flotation was studied for the effects of both physical factors (column dimension, air-stone pore size, sample-to-column volume ratio) and culture properties (pH, culture growth stage, cell concentration, and pure versus impure cultures). The optimized process consistently achieved >90 % recovery in a single stage. 98+ % recovery could be achieved when starting concentrations were >10(8) cells/ml, or potentially using a two- or multi-stage process for diluter cultures.

Study on column SPE with synthesized graphene oxide and FAAS for determination of trace amount of Co(II) and Ni(II) ions in real samples.

A selective method for the preconcentration and separation of trace amounts of Co(II) and Ni(II) by column solid phase extraction has been developed. The method is based on the adsorption of metal ions as N-(5-methyl-2-hydroxyacetophenone)-N'-(2-hydroxyacetophenone) ethylene diamine (MHE) complex on synthesized graphene oxide. Computational modeling based on PM6 semi-empirical potential energy surface was utilized to investigate the interaction of metallic complexes with graphene oxide sheet. The adsorption was achieved quantitatively on graphene oxide at pH6.0 and then the retained analyte contents on the column were quantitatively eluted with 3.0 mol L(-1) HNO3. Experimental conditions for effective separation of trace levels of the analyte ions such as pH, flow rate, concentration of eluent, sample volume and interference ions were investigated. A preconcentration factor of 250 was achieved by passing 1250 mL of sample through the solid phase, while the limit of detection of Co(II) and Ni(II) ions were found to be 0.25 and 0.18 ng mL(-1), respectively. The method was applied to the determination of analyte ions in water, black tea and tomato samples.

Column solid phase extraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of manganese(II) and iron(III) ions in water, food and biological samples using 3-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylic acid on synthesized graphene oxide.

A modified, selective, highly sensitive and accurate procedure for the determination of trace amounts of manganese and iron ions is established in the presented work. 3-(1-Methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylic acid (MPPC) and graphene oxide (GO) were used in a glass column as chelating reagent and as adsorbent respectively prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The adsorption mechanism of titled metals complexes on GO was investigated by using computational chemistry approach based on PM6 semi-empirical potential energy surface (PES). The effect of some parameters including pH, flow rate and volume of sample and type, volume and concentration of eluent, as well as the adsorption capacity of matrix ions on the recovery of Mn(II) and Fe(III) was investigated. The limit of detection was 145 and 162 ng L(-1) for Mn(II) and Fe(III), respectively. Calibration was linear over the range of 0.31-355 µg L(-1) for Mn(II) and 0.34-380 µg L(-1) for Fe(III) ions. The method was successfully applied for the determination of understudied ions in water, food and biological samples.

Homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction via flotation assistance for rapid and efficient determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples.

In this work, a rapid, simple and efficient homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction via flotation assistance (HLLME-FA) method was developed based on applying low density organic solvents without no centrifugation. For the first time, a special extraction cell was designed to facilitate collection of the low-density solvent extraction in the determination of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water samples followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The effect of different variables on the extraction efficiency was studied simultaneously using experimental design. The variables of interest in the HLLME-FA were selected as extraction and homogeneous solvent volumes, ionic strength and extraction time. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate the optimum conditions of all the variables. Using optimized variables in the extraction process, for all target PAHs, the detection limits, the precisions and the linearity of the method were found in the range of 14-41 µg L(-1), 3.7-10.3% (RSD, n=3) and 50-1000 µg L(-1), respectively. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of four target PAHs in the water samples, and satisfactory results were obtained.

Effect of fishing vessels on trace metal contamination in sediments of three harbors along Iranian Oman Sea coast.

In this study, the levels of natural and anthropogenic metal contamination (aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) in surface sediments of three harbors along the Iranian coast of Gulf of Oman were examined and reported for the first time. Effect of grain size, mineralogy, normalization technique using Fe concentrations, and different sediment quality guidelines were discussed. Data from the harbors were compared with other harbors worldwide. Sediments inside the harbors are characterized by moderate and high levels of pollution by trace metals Cu (12-287 µg/g), Pb (11-1,780 µg/g), Zn (38-547 µg/g), Cr (70-2,370 µg/g), and Ni (31-116 µg/g). However, As and Cd did not show considerable pollution inside and outside the harbors. Considering that there is no industrial activity around the study harbors, the major sources of contamination in the harbors are repairing, fueling, greasing, and painting of fishing ships and boats. Mineralogy of sediments in the study area as well as trace metal concentration in reference samples taken from onshore geological units confirmed that natural inputs of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the harbors are very low while most of Ni and Cr contamination in the study area comes from erosion of ophiolitic mélange units at the North of Makran mountains.

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil samples using flotation-assisted homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction.

In this study, flotation-assisted homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction (FA-HLLME) was developed as a fast, simple, and efficient method for extraction of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil samples followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis. A special home-made extraction cell was designed to facilitate collection of the low-density extraction solvent without a need for centrifugation. In this method, PAHs were extracted from soil samples into methanol and water (1:1, v/v) using ultrasound in two steps followed by filtration as a clean-up step. The filtrate was added into the home-made extraction cell contained mixture of 1.0 mL methanol (homogenous solvent) and 150.0 µL toluene (extraction solvent). Using N(2) flotation, the dispersed extraction solvent was transferred to the surface of the mixture and was collected by means of a micro-syringe. Then, 2 µL of the collected organic solvent was injected into the GC-FID for subsequent analysis. Under optimal conditions, linearity of the method was in the range of 40-1000 µg kg(-1) soil (dry weight). The relative standard deviations in real samples varied from 5.9 to 15.2% (n=4). The proposed method was successfully applied to analyze the target PAHs in soil samples, and satisfactory results were obtained.

Delaunay triangulation as a new coverage measurement method in wireless sensor network.

Sensing and communication coverage are among the most important trade-offs in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) design. A minimum bound of sensing coverage is vital in scheduling, target tracking and redeployment phases, as well as providing communication coverage. Some methods measure the coverage as a percentage value, but detailed information has been missing. Two scenarios with equal coverage percentage may not have the same Quality of Coverage (QoC). In this paper, we propose a new coverage measurement method using Delaunay Triangulation (DT). This can provide the value for all coverage measurement tools. Moreover, it categorizes sensors as 'fat', 'healthy' or 'thin' to show the dense, optimal and scattered areas. It can also yield the largest empty area of sensors in the field. Simulation results show that the proposed DT method can achieve accurate coverage information, and provides many tools to compare QoC between different scenarios.

Trunk muscle fatigue in subjects with a history of low back pain and a group of healthy controls measured by similarity index.

BACKGROUND: Trunk muscle fatigue has high relevance in human performance. Most authors agree that the use of the median frequency is preferred as a fatigue indicator. Most work has to date, been done on dynamic fatigue measurements, using the similarity index (SI). OBJECTIVE: Repeated trunk flexion-extensions were measured using the B200 Isostation. Muscle activity was recorded by surface electromyography (EMG) in order to evaluate fatigue of trunk flexor and extensor muscles. Twenty male university students participated in this pilot study, including 6 apparently healthy subjects with a history of low back pain (LBP), and 14 healthy matched controls. All participants were instructed to perform repeated trunk flexion-extension against 50% of their back extensors maximal volutary contractions (MVCs) resistance until they could no longer perform the task. The SI was calculated from quantitative analysis of EMG data recording during dynamic trunk flexion extension task. Median frequency was also measured before and after fatiguing contractions. RESULTS: The results of this study revealed a significant decrease in the SI and median frequency measurements following fatigue in both groups (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that in both groups changes in SI measurements following fatigue are in agreement with the changes in median frequency measurements.

Headspace solvent microextraction of trihalomethane compounds into a single drop.

Headspace solvent microextraction (HSME) into a single drop is developed for the determination of six trihalomethanes, CH2Cl2, CHCl3, C4H9Cl, CCl4, C2HCl3, and C2Cl4, in aqueous solution. A drop of benzyl alcohol containing bromoform, as an internal standard, is used for extraction. The analytes are extracted by suspending a 3-microL drop directly from the needle of a microsyringe. The needle passes through the septum of a vessel, and the needle tip appears above the surface of the solution. After the prescribed extraction time, the drop is drawn back into the syringe. The syringe is then removed, and its content is injected directly into a gas chromatography column for analysis. The main parameters affecting the HSME process, such as stirring speed, microdrop volume, sample solution temperature, microsyringe needle temperature, sample volume, solution pH, extracting solvent, and ionic strength of the solution, are studied. Also, the linear range and precision of the method are examined.

Headspace solvent microextraction A new method applied to the preconcentration of 2-butoxyethanol from aqueous solutions into a single microdrop.

A new procedure and experimental setup for the headspace solvent microextraction of volatile organic materials from aqueous sample solutions is described. The extraction occurs by suspending a 3-mul drop of the solvent from the tip of a microsyringe to the headspace of a stirred aqueous sample solution for a preset extraction time. The temperature of the microdrop and the bulk of sample solution should be kept constant at optimized values. The sample analyses were carried out by gas chromatography. The procedure was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of 2-butoxyethanol from content of some color samples used for painting the outer coverage of some machines such as coolers, refrigerator, cloths machine, etc. Parameters such as extraction time, nature of extraction solvent, size of microdrop, sample volume, stirring rate, ionic strength and pH of sample solution were studied and optimized, and the method performance was evaluated.