The effect of noise exposure on mental workload, noise sensitivity and general and mental health of overhead crane operators in one of the Steel Industries in south of Iran

Introduction: Overhead cranes play a vital role in guiding steel industries and maintaining their normal condition. These machines are operated by humans and pose a great risk of accidents that may occur due to mistakes made by operators. According to the mentioned contents, the non-negligible effects of noise on the physical and mental health of people in the work environment, the complexity and sensitivity of overhead crane operators, as well as the serious injuries caused by the error of this task, this study aimed at the effect of exposure to noise on mental workload, noise sensitivity and general and mental health of overhead crane operators in one of the steel industries in southern Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the worker's exposure to the sound level was carefully evaluated. In this way, the sound pressure leveling was done during the operator's duty and in the crane cabin according to the recommendation of ISO 9612. In the second phase of the research, after determining the level of exposure of overhead crane operators to noise, noise sensitivity questionnaires, mental assessment of exposure to noise conditions, and general health questionnaires were distributed and subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical analysis of data was done using SPSS version 22 software. Using a one-way analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient, the relationship between different factors was investigated. In this study, a significance level of 5% was considered. Results: The average equivalent level of exposure of overhead crane operators for 8 hours is 76.4 dB and the maximum and minimum equivalent levels of 8-hour exposure, respectively; 84 and 68.2 dB were obtained. The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between the variables of gender, marital status, and working hours with noise sensitivity and the variables of gender, education, a mental crisis in the last month and second job with mental load, and the variable of mental crisis in the last month with general health (P<0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between noise sensitivity, mental load, and general health with sound. The results showed, there is no significant relationship between noise sensitivity, mental load, and general health with sound (P> 0.05). There is a negative or inverse relationship between noise sensitivity and general sound health. This means that with the increase in volume, sensitivity to sound and general health will decrease and vice versa. Conclusion: The results of this research can provide the necessary platform to improve the working conditions of overhead crane operators to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences and problems of inaudible noise in values ​​less than 85 dB.

Identification and evaluation of human errors of Epoxy control room operators of a pipe Mill company using HEC technique

Introduction: In many workplaces today, the incidence of human error can lead to catastrophic accidents in which human error is the main cause of accidents. Due to the vital role of the control room in guiding and controlling various sites of the pipe industry, especially the outer coating sector, the incidence of any error can lead to human accidents, damage to machinery, interruption in production. This study aimed to identify and evaluate human error by Human Error Calculator (HEC) method in the epoxy control room of a pipe mill company.  Materials and Methods: In the present descriptive cross-sectional study, the HEC method was used to identify and evaluate human errors. The HEC technique is provided by Risk Map Company, in which the probability of human error is based on five factors affecting the occurrence of human error, including a degree of urgency, complexity, importance, degree of individual skill, and task repetition, using a disk-shaped tool called Risk Disk is determined through direct observation, available instructions and interview with the head of the mentioned unit. Results: According to the results of this study, out of 11 identified tasks, five job tasks with a risk number of 70% have a high probability of human error, four job tasks with a risk number of 50%, and one job task with a number There is a 40% risk of moderate human error, And a job task with a 20% risk number has an increased chance of human error. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the HEC method is easy to use and is a simple and useful tool for professionals to calculate the probability of human error. In addition, HEC is a practical, effective and beneficial method for managers to reduce human error.

Prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in beta-thalassemia major patients of Tabriz city, Iran

People with beta-thalassemia major are more likely to acquire blood-borne viral infections due to the need for frequent blood transfusions. Of these viruses, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are of particular importance. In this study, the prevalence of HBV, HCV and their risk factors in beta-thalassemia major patients in East Azerbaijan province was investigated. The study was descriptive cross-sectional, and 116 beta-thalassemia major patients who received blood in Shahid Ghazi hospital and Children's hospital in Tabriz city were studied. Data were collected by a questionnaire, and blood samples of patients in terms of serum markers HCV-Ab, HBsAg and HBs-Ab were analyzed by ELISA, and positive HCV-Ab results were confirmed by Real Time-PCR. Then using SPSS software version 22 and with the help of t-tests including Anova T-test, Man-Whitney U test, Independent sample t-test, chi-square and Fisher exact test, Statistical studies were performed. Of the 116 patients studied, no HBsAg positive cases were found. Four patients (3.4%) were positive for HCV-Ab, of which two patients (1.7%) became HCV-RNA positive after Real Time-PCR. There was a significant relationship between HCV-Ab positive and HCV-RNA positive (P = 0.000), blood transfusion intervals (P = 0.043), number of injected blood units (P = 0.001) and duration of blood transfusion (P = 0.006). The prevalence of HCV was lower in patients who started receiving blood after a blood donor screening program. HCV is less prevalent in thalassemia patients in East Azerbaijan province than in some studies in the country and various global statistics. After 1996, the prevalence of HCV in the thalassemia patient population has decreased significantly, and it seems that HCV infections since 1996 have been associated with various factors such as people's jobs, position, behaviour in society, etc.

Effect of Carum copticum nano-essence against Saprolegnia and Fusarium, and the Use of Multiplex PCR Assay for the Detection of These Organisms in Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

This study aimed to investigate the fungal species isolation and confirmation by the Multiplex PCR method in aquatic fish. Evaluation of the inhibitory effect of nano-essential oils of Carum copticum on isolated fungal species was also conducted in this study. The PCR results showed that 3 out of 5 samples were diagnosed with Fusarium solani, and two of them were positive for Saprolegnia. Moreover, in 0.1% of the females' nanoparticles, one peak appeared that showed a particle with an average diameter of 360 nm, and two nanoparticles showed a peak with a mean diameter of 242 nm. The results of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC) showed that 0.01% nano essential oil had 0.08 and 0.07 mg/ml MIC values against Fusarium solani and Saprolegnia, respectively. Gram/ml was on the growth of Fusarium solani species. The essential oils of female plants had an MIC of 0.07 in 0.1% essential oil and 0.03 mg/ml in 0.01% essential oil in Saprolegnia. Furthermore, in the case of 0.1% nano essential oil, the results showed the MIC values of 0.04 and 0.03 mg/ml against Fusarium solani and Saprolegnia, respectively. The MFC values of 0.1% nano essential oil were 0.1 and 0.07 mg/ml against Fusarium solani and Saprolegnia, respectively. It was not found on Fusarium and Saprolegnia. Overall, the results of this study using PCR for direct detection showed that 70% and 50% of the samples were Fusarium solani and Saprolegnia positive, respectively; therefore, the PCR was an efficient method for the detection of fungi. According to the results of nano-essential oil (0.1%) of females, this nano-essence had a strong inhibitory effect on Fusarium solani and Saprolegnia.

The experimental and theoretical QM/MM study of interaction of chloridazon herbicide with ds-DNA

We report a multispectroscopic, voltammetric and theoretical hybrid of QM/MM study of the interaction between double-stranded DNA containing both adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine alternating sequences and chloridazon (CHL) herbicide. The electrochemical behavior of CHL was studied by cyclic voltammetry on HMDE, and the interaction of ds-DNA with CHL was investigated by both cathodic differential pulse voltammetry (CDPV) at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and anodic differential pulse voltammetry (ADPV) at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The constant bonding of CHL-DNA complex that was obtained by UV/vis, CDPV and ADPV was 2.1×10(4), 5.1×10(4) and 2.6×10(4), respectively. The competition fluorescence studies revealed that the CHL quenches the fluorescence of DNA-ethidium bromide complex significantly and the apparent Stern-Volmer quenching constant has been estimated to be 1.71×10(4). Thermal denaturation study of DNA with CHL revealed the ΔTm of 8.0±0.2°C. Thermodynamic parameters, i.e., enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS°), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) were 98.45 kJ mol(-1), 406.3 J mol(-1) and -22.627 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The ONIOM, based on the hybridization of QM/MM (DFT, 6.31++G(d,p)/UFF) methodology, was also performed using Gaussian 2003 package. The results revealed that the interaction is base sequence dependent, and the CHL has more interaction with ds-DNA via the GC base sequence. The results revealed that CHL may have an interaction with ds-DNA via the intercalation mode.

Presence of stable coal radicals in autopsied coal miners' lungs and its possible correlation to coal workers' pneumoconiosis

Stable coal radicals (SCRs) were detected by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in the lung tissue of autopsied coal miners. The SCR concentrations were measured in the lung tissues from 98 coal miners with and without (a) coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), (b) cancer, and (c) a history of cigarette smoking. Concentrations of SCRs were also determined in the lungs of nonminer controls. The SCR concentration was related to longer mining tenure, CWP disease severity, lung cancer, and cigarette smoking. The mean concentration of SCRs in the lung tissues of miners with 30 +/- 1.4 y of coal mining exposure was 5.3 +/- 1.3 x 10(17) spins/g versus controls who had a nondetectable level (less than 10(15) spins/g). An increase in disease severity was accompanied by a progressive increase in SCR concentration. A SCR concentration of 4.8 +/- 0.7 x 10(17) spins/g was found for simple CWP (with moderate coal macules) versus 7.8 +/- 4.6 spins/g lung tissue for complicated CWP (with progressive massive fibrosis). Significantly higher (i.e., 10 x 10(17] concentrations of SCR in the coal miners' lung tissues were associated with an exposure history in the anthracite regions of northeastern Pennsylvania. These results indicate a possible role for SCRs in the disease process. Furthermore, ESR appears to be an adequate methodology for the quantitation of coal dust retained in the lung and for distinguishing exposures to anthracite and/or bituminous coal.

Detection of reactive free radicals in fresh coal mine dust and their implication for pulmonary injury

Freshly ground and aged anthracite and bituminous coal samples were investigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy to detect the presence, concentration and reactivity of free radicals. Freshly ground anthracite coal produced greater concentration of free radicals than the bituminous coal, and the radical reactivity was also greater for the anthracite. The reactivity of the newly produced free radicals in the anthracite dust correlated with the dust's toxicity. Furthermore, similar coal-based free radicals were detected in the lung tissue of autopsied coal miners, suggestive of persistent reactivity by the embedded coal dust leading to the progressive disease process. Results of the studies on the severity of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and free radical concentration in lung tissue support this hypothesis.