Papers 2-7 are not available in Munin, due to publishers' restrictions: <br/>2. Donnelly, K.A-M., Karlsen, K.M. and Olsen, P. (2009) <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2009.04.006>'The importance of transformations for traceability',</a> Meat Science, 83 pp 68-73.<br/>3. Karlsen, K.M:, Olsen, P. and Donnelly K. A-M., (2009) <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00070701011018860>'Implementing traceability: Practical challenges at a mineral water bottling plant'</a>, British Food Journal 112 (2) pp 187-197.<br/>4. Donnelly, K.A-M. and Karlsen, K.M. (2010) <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10498850903430813>'Lessons from two case studies in implementing traceability in the dried salted fish industry'</a>. Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, 19 (10) pp 38-47.<br/>5. Donnelly, K.A‐M., Karlsen, K.M., Olsen, P. and van der Roest, J. (2008) 'Creating standardised data lists for traceability: a study of honey processing', Int. J. Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies, Vol. 3 (4) pp 283–291.<br/>6. Donnelly, K.A‐M., Roest, J. V. D., Hoskuldsson, S. T., Olsen P. and Karlsen K.M., (2009)<a href=http://www.springerlink.com/content/l14141/#section=386289> 'Improving information exchange in the chicken processing sector using standardised data lists'</a>. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 46, pp 312‐321.<br/>7. Thakur, M, and Donnelly, K.A‐M, (2010) <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2010.02.004>'Modelling traceability information in soyabean value chains'</a>, Journal of Food Engineering, 99(1) pp 98-65. | The globalisation and intensification of food production has led to food related health incidents. These incidents range from BSE in cattle to illegally high levels of dioxins in chicken feed (Carriquiry and Babcock, 2007, Caswell, 2000, Elbers et al., 2001, Fallon, 2001, Hobbs, 2004, Madec et al., 2001, Ozawa et al., 2001, Sporleder and Goldsmith, 2001). The modern consumer is increasingly concerned with quality, sustainability and the possible health benefits related to the food that they eat (Chryssochoidis et al., 2008, Gellynck and Verbeke, 2001, Kehagia et al., 2007, van Rijswijk and Frewer, 2008). There is an increasing need for information when consumers are no longer familiar with the production attributes of their food (Carriquiry and Babcock, 2007, Kiesel et al., 2005, Pettitt, 2001). In this research features such as systematic information loss and lack of unique identification were identified as inhibitors of traceability. Standardisation of data elements for electronic information exchange and the identification of critical traceability points were identified as important activators.

International audience | An alternative process is suggested, by means of surface area enlargement, in order to study the direct assimilation of natural phosphates (NP) and to avoid the liquid-solid states in the treatment. New pulverisation technologies have been used to grind natural phosphates: Ball crushers. The consequences of this grinding are shown in two characteristics: a physical one and chemical one-reactivity have been modified. The aim of this investigation is the development of three granulometric slices that is <160 μm, <80 μm and the fine slice <40μm. Different techniques are used to characterize the properties of the products after grinding. So we measured the distributions of the particles size by LASER and studied their morphologies with the scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The characteristic temperatures of the products have been determined by (DTA/TGA). Finally, the final properties, like the properties of surface, have been characterized by BET. The crystalline nature of the powders has been determined by X-ray powder diffraction. The studied material is a sedimentary rock phosphate with three size fraction <160 μm, <80 μm and <40 μm. The specific surface fractions <160 μm, <80 μm and <40 μm are respectively 17.45 m²/g, 18.50 m²/g and 9 m²/g. The chemical analysis of the product suggests that the composition of apatite lends itself to the substitution groups PO43- by (CO3F)3-.

The purpose of this study was to regenerate clinoptilolite natural zeolite by air stripping followed by removal of ammonium from aqueous solutions. The research was carried out in continuous system. The characteristics of graded clinoptilolite from Semnan (one of the central provinces in Iran) mines were determined and then regeneration tests were done by contacting of 1 N NaCl solution with given weights of ammonium saturated zeolite. Then the brine of column was transferred to the air stripping column for regeneration. The pH of brine solution before entrance to a stripping column was increased to 11. Air stripped ammonia from the brine was converted to the ammonium ion by using acid scrubber. The outlet effluent from stripping column was collected for reuse. The results showed that the cation exchange capacities were 17.31 to 18.38 mg NH4+/g of zeolite weight. Regeneration efficiency of zeolite by NaCl solution and air stripping was in the range of 92%-97% under various operational conditions. However, the efficiency of acid absorption of released ammonia in stripping process was 55% with a major rejection of the surplus ammonia to the atmosphere. It could be concluded that the method studied may be considered as an advanced and supplementary process for treating effluents of aqueous solution and fishponds in existing treatment plants.

Noise is one of the most important sources of pollution in the metropolitan areas. The recognition of road traffic noise as one of the main sources of environmental pollution has led to develop models that enable us to predict noise level from fundamental variables. Traffic noise prediction models are required as aids in the design of roads and sometimes in the assessment of existing, or envisaged changes in, traffic noise conditions. The purpose of this study was to design a prediction road traffic noise model from traffic variables and conditions of transportation in Iran. This paper is the result of a research conducted in the city of Hamadan with the ultimate objective of setting up a traffic noise model based on the traffic conditions of Iranian cities. Noise levels and other variables have been measured in 282 samples to develop a statistical regression model based on A-weighted equivalent noise level for Iranian road condition. The results revealed that the average LAeq in all stations was 69.04± 4.25 dB(A), the average speed of vehicles was 44.57±11.46 km/h and average traffic load was 1231.9 ± 910.2 V/h. The developed model has seven explanatory entrance variables in order to achieve a high regression coefficient (R2=0.901). Comparing means of predicted and measuring equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq) showed small difference less than -0.42 dB(A) and -0.77 dB(A) for Tehran and Hamadan cities, respectively. The suggested road traffic noise model can be effectively used as a decision support tool for predicting equivalent sound pressure level index in the cities of Iran.

Parthenium plants and neem leaves were composted using the epigeic earthworm, Eisenia fetida (worm-worked compost) to study the growth and reproductive indices of earthworm involved in the process of composting. Similarly, parthenium plants and neem leaves were composted without worms (worm-unworked compost). Efficacy of the resulting composts in supporting the growth of plant was tested with the germination and growth of Vigna radiate seedlings. The results showed that higher parthenium amendment significantly reduced the growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida compared with control. The two-way ANOVA results showed a significant difference in the growth rate of worms when exposed to different amended concentrations of parthenium plants and neem leaves at different durations as fixed factors. The following compost parameters were not significantly different when compared with control: pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, iron for parthenium worm-worked compost; nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, organic carbon and carbon/nitrogen ratio for neem worm-worked compost; nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon for parthenium worm-unworked compost and pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc and carbon/nitrogen ratio for neem worm-unworked compost. Between parthenium plant composts and neem leaves composts, significant differences were not observed in any of the plant biometric parameters. The results obtained from the present study indicated that the parthenium composting at low amendments with cow dung may help its eradication for better utilization.

Eutrophication phenomenon is one of the most common water quality problems in reservoirs in many regions. Determining the trophic status of the reservoirs is not a precise process and contains vagueness. Fuzzy set and entropy theories are concepts which can model uncertainty and imprecision in the data and the analysis. In this study, an Entropy-based Fuzzy Eutrophication Index model has been developed for classification of trophic level of Satarkhan Reservoir in the north-western part of Iran. Through the Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation technique, trophic levels were considered as fuzzy sets and a fuzzy evaluation matrix was formed by defining the membership function of water quality indicators. The indicators were weighed by integrating both objective and subjective criteria. In this regard, the entropy method was used to determine the objective weights of the indicators based on the amount of useful information available in the data set and the subjective weight was determined by the analytical hierarchy process using a pairwise comparison done by the expert judgment. Classification of the trophic status of the reservoir was determined by multiplying the weighed vector by the fuzzy evaluation matrix. The results showed that critical months for eutrophication in Satarkhan reservoir occur in autumn and spring after the overturning phenomena. The strength of the results of developed entrophy-based fuzzy entrophication index is that the trophic level in each month was expressed with a degree of certainty. Also due to the ability of the model to integrate different kinds of objective and subjective quality observations considering the information included in the data, the proposed model is more robust than the previous index models such as Trophic Status Index and fuzzy trophic index.

The effect of personal and attitudinal factors, noise level, hearing status and psychological traits on traffic-related noise annoyance among white-collar employees working in Tehran has been carefully analyzed. This survey has been conducted by interviewing 495 citizens working in non-manufacturing industries in Tehran, using questionnaires, Weinstein noise sensitivity scale, Beck’s depression, Buss and perry’s aggression, Zung’s anxiety, job satisfaction and Eysenc’s personality inventory. These citizens were office workers or store employees. Noise annoyance was determined both by numerical-based questionnaire criterion and by verbal index. Personal information, attitudinal factors and hearing conditions were determined using a general questionnaire. The amount of workplace noise the participants were exposed to was directly measured at their workplaces. It was revealed that among personal factors, age (p=0.030), marital status (p=0.004), residential period (p=0.001) and wealth (p=0.04) were related to noise annoyance. Attitudinal factors including sensitivity to noise (p=0.001), individual’s opinion on the need to control the noise (p=0.000) and individuals’ assessment of the amount of the workplace ambient noise (p= 0.000) were found to have relationship with noise annoyance. No meaningful relationship was seen between the equivalent noise level (p=0.879) and statistical noise level of L90 (p=0.909). The present study revealed that among all effective factors involved in noise annoyance, attitudinal factors had the most significant role in this regard.

Synthetic dyes are extensively used in different industries. Dyes have adverse impacts such as visual effects, chemical oxygen demand, toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity characteristics. White rot fungi, due to extracellular enzyme system, are capable to degrade dyes and various xenobiotics. The aim of this study was to optimize decolorization of reactive blue 19 (RB19) dye using Ganoderma sp. fungus. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to study the effect of independent variables, namely glycerol concentration (15, 20 and 25 g/L), temperature (27, 30 and 33 oC) and pH (5.5, 6.0 and 6.5) on color removal efficiency in aqueous solution. From RSM-generated model, the optimum conditions for RB19 decolorization were identified to be at temperature of 27oC, glycerol concentration of 19.14 mg/L and pH=6.3. At the optimum conditions, predicted decolorization was 95.3 percent. The confirmatory experiments were conducted and confirmed the results by 94.89% color removal. Thus, this statistical approach enabled to improve reactive blue 19 decolorization process by Ganoderma sp. up to 1.27 times higher than non-optimized conditions.

A model is demonstrated that describes street traffic-induced noise pollution in 2008 in Yazd, Iran. Sound levels were measured using a Bruel and Kjaer-2260 sound level meter on 10 streets across the city over this period during the morning rush hour and different vehicle types were counted simultaneously at various sampling points. Geographical Information System was used to generate, store and retrieve the spatial data and map the sound levels using an interpolation technique. The minimum and maximum sound levels appeared to be 70.9 dBA and 80.7 dBA, respectively and these values were above the national legislated norm. Cars and motorcycles were the most commonly used vehicle type in the city, comprising 61.2% and 23.7 % of the total traffic volume, respectively. These data were followed by trucks, buses and bicycles. A number of parameters which were assumed to impact on noise pollution were collected and considered, including geographical position, elevation, the distance to the nearest intersection, street geometry and the numbers of vehicles according to class. The modelling demonstrated that there is a significant relationship between the average sound level and traffic flow (R2 = 0.5). The results showed that although street traffichas increased between 2002 and 2008, the sound levels in the city decreased slightly and this has been attributed to advances in vehicle design.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate Reactive Blue 19 dye removal efficiency in aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process by adding polyaluminum chloride (PACl). PACl was added to the reactors in concentrations of 0, 1, 5, 15 and 30 mg-Al/L (SBR1 to SBR5) after filling periods. Initial dye concentrations were selected to be 40 mg/L for all reactors. The averages of dye removal efficiencies were more than 57% in all reactors. The maximum and minimum dye removal efficiencies were 71.7% ± 13.6 and 57.7% ± 34.3 in SBR3 and SBR4, respectively. According to the obtained results, PACl had not any significant effects on the COD removal efficiency. The MLSS and MLVSS concentration of SBRs had an increasing rate during whole operation time and reached from 2500 mg/L (1st day) to 4900 mg/L (39th day). The maximum increasing rate was 50% in SBR5.