In order to study the contamination of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin production in pistachio cultivars in the Semnan province, eight cultivars of pistachio were collected from major pistachio growing areas. Using the serial dilution method, ground pistachio kernels were inoculated on plates containing AFPA medium and incubated at 28° C. This experiment was performed using three replications ...

The effect of pig iron slag particles on soil physico-chemical, biological and certain soil enzyme properties was studied. Contamination of iron slag particles altered physico-chemical, biological and enzyme properties of soil. While soil pH increased slightly, electrical conductivity, carbon, potassium and phosphorus contents increased significantly in polluted soil. Contamination of soil with...

Brest harbor (Bay of Brest, Brittany, France) has a severe past of anthropogenic chemical contamination, but inputs tended to decrease, indicating a reassessment of its ecotoxicological status should be carried out. Here, native and caged mussels (Mytilus spp.) were used in combination to evaluate biological effects of chronic chemical contamination in Brest harbor. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocar...

The performance of an incinerator is affected markedly by the moisture content of the refuse. To maintain a satisfactory £ire and a high rate of operation under con� ditions of varying refuse moisture is difficult at best: As the flue gas reflects the refuse analysis, a meter is proposed that would report the ratio of CO, and H,O vapor in the furnace exit gas. The CO2/H20 ratio varies from 2.0 ...

Increasing the speed and complexity of semiconductor integrated circuits requires advanced processes that put extreme constraints on the level of metal contamination allowed on the surfaces of silicon wafers. Such contamination degrades the performance of the ultrathin SiO2 gate dielectrics that form the heart of the individual transistors. Ultimately, reliability and yield are reduced to level...