The ability to directly characterize chemical transport and interactions that occur within a material (i.e., subsurface dynamics) is a vital component in understanding contaminant mass transport and the ability to decontaminate materials. If a material is contaminated, over time, the transport of highly toxic chemicals (such as chemical warfare agent species) out of the material can result in v...

Evolutionary processes generating biodiversity and ecological mechanisms maintaining biodiversity seem to be diverse themselves. Conventional explanations of biodiversity such as niche differentiation, density-dependent predation pressure, or habitat heterogeneity seem satisfactory to explain diversity in communities of macrobial organisms such as higher plants and animals. For a long time the ...

The large-scale use of chemical warfare agents first occurred during World War I (the "chemists' war"), and was thereafter repeated at irregular intervals, most recently during the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s. There was consequently a possibility that chemical weapons might be used in the Gulf war. The threat posed by terrorist groups became evident in 1994-95, when Japanese civilians were ...

Photocatalysis has been widely applied to solar-energy conversion and environmental purification. Photocatalyst, typically titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), produces active oxygen species under irradiation of ultraviolet light, and can decompose not only conventional pollutants but also different types of hazardous substances at mild conditions. We have recently started the study of photocatalytic dec...

8 Think about your first reaction if you saw a poster at your local pet shop announcing “New Ornamental Plant Kills All Algae in Your Tank Within 24 Hours—Money Back Guarantee!” How much would you be willing to spend on such a plant? Unfortunately, no such plant has yet been identified. But it is a scientific fact that some plants secrete chemicals that are toxic to other plants. Can we use suc...

objective: the aim of this study was to determine the associates of marital relationship in mustard exposed veterans. materials and methods: two hundred ninety two married iranian mustard exposed veterans, who had been exposed to single high dose mustard gas in iraq-iran war, were assessed for marital adjustment with revised dyadic adjustment scale (rdas). census sampling was done. the patients...

organophosphorous (op) chemical warfare nerve agents mainly sarin and tabun were used during the iran-iraq war with high mortalities. in addition to atropine and oximes, the followings have recently been used successfully for the treatment of op poisoning. 1. sodium bicarbonate: infusion of high doses of sodium bicarbonate (5 meq/kg in 60 min. followed by 5-6 meq/kg/day to obtain arterial blood...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the health of Porton Down volunteers (PDV) has suffered as a result of their participation in medical trials, during which they were exposed to single low dose concentrations of chemical warfare agents. METHODS Data were obtained from a self-selected series of ex-Porton Down volunteers who attended the MOD's Porton Down Volunteers' Medical Assessment Programme (...

BACKGROUND Mustard gas has different effects on different body systems such as respiratory tract, blood, gastrointestinal, skin, eye, endocrine and peripheral nervous system. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of life in chemical warfare veterans due to sulfur mustard exposure. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a cross-sectional and analytic study, 242 patients who had ...