background: acanthamoeba spp . are free-living amebas found in a wide variety of natural habitats. the high percentage of acanthamoeba in different environmental sources represents a sanitary risk for public health especially contact lens users and immunocompromised patients. the aim of this study was to determine the presence of acanthamoeba spp. in different environments such as water, soil, ...

Heightened competition for freshwater supplies has intensified water scarcity and compromised the ability of freshwater ecosystems to generate goods and services required for human well-being. Water markets and accompanying water rights reforms have featured prominently in the establishment of robust water allocations to restore freshwater ecosystem health. Because many freshwater ecosystems ha...

Environmental informatics applications often analyze data collected from various sources. Both data collection and data analysis benefit from expert knowledge. However, if applications are to be used by a broader range of users with less expert knowledge, applications will need to include a deeper understanding of the data used and analysis performed. We present the Tetherless World Constellati...

the problem of environmental pollution is of everybody's concern. pollution of zarjoub river in northern iran is most often cause by the uncontrolled disposal of sewage and other wastes resulting from domestic uses of water, industrial wastes containing a variety of pollutants, agricultural affluent from animal husbandry, drainage of irrigation water and urban run-off. a study was carried out t...

The molluscicide metaldehyde (2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7-tetraoxocanemetacetaldehyde) is an emerging pollutant. It is frequently detected in surface waters, often above the European Community Drinking Water Directive limit of 0.1 μg/L for a single pesticide. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can be used to determine metaldehyde in environmental waters, but this method requires time ...

This study describes a fast and accurate method for the sample preparation, identification, and quantitation of nitrilotriacetic (NTA) acid in environmental aqueous samples at a concentration of ppb level. The method is sensitive, specific, and free from the interferences of fatty and amino acids. The tri-n-propyl- and tri-n-butyl-NTA acid esters were prepared by the reaction of n-propyl-HCl an...

An on-line concentration method has been developed for the analysis of dilute suspensions of macromolecules and particles by flow field-flow fractionation (FFF). This method, termed opposed flow sample concentration (OFSC), uses two opposing flowstreams to focus sample into a narrow band near the inlet of the flow FFF channel. Large sample volumes (up to 1 L) have been successfully loaded, conc...

INTRODUCTION While NTM infection is mainly acquired from environmental exposure, monitoring of environmental niches for NTM is not a routine practice. This study aimed to find the prevalence of environmental NTM in soil and water in four highly populated suburbs of Tehran, Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 4014 samples from soil and water resources were collected and studied. Sediments of...

INTRODUCTION Legionnaires' disease is normally acquired by inhalation of legionellae from a contaminated environmental source. Water systems of large buildings, such as hospitals, are often contaminated with legionellae and therefore represent a potential risk for the hospital population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential contamination of Legionella pneumophila (LP) in a large...