Surface sediment samples were collected from Tanzanian major commercial ports and studied for the distribution and behavior of tributyltin (TBT) compounds and heavy metals. The content of TBT in sediments ranged from ND­3670 ng (Sn) g1 dry wt (1780 ± 1720) (Mean ± SD) at Zanzibar and from ND­16700 ng (Sn) g1 dry wt (4080 ± 7540) at Dar es Salaam ports, respectively. Maximum TBT levels were detected inside the both ports. Metabolic degradation of butyltin compounds (BTCs) showed that MBT + DBT > TBT %, this may be attributed by the warm ambient water and intense sunlight in the tropical regions. A sequential extraction procedure was undertaken to provide detailed chemical characteristics of heavy metals in the sediments. The procedure revealed that about 50 % of Fe in the both ports is in immobile fraction (residual fraction) while other metals; Cd, Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, Pb, and Mn were mostly found in exchangeable or carbonate fractions and thus can be easily remobilized and enter the aquatic food chain. This paper provides basic information of TBT compounds contamination and chemical characteristics of heavy metals in the marine ecosystem in Tanzania. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of Organotin compounds (OTCS) in marine environments in East Africa and suggests the importance of further detailed OTCS studies in other sub­ Saharan Africa regions.

Scientists predict climate changes and warmer conditions for the world in future. Predicting the warming effect on plant performance is one of the most important challenges in ecological sciences. In this study, the effects of short-term warming on physiological traits of Pteropyrum aucheri as one of the domain shrubs was assessed in riverside of semi-arid rangelands of Kohpanj region, Bardsir, Kerman province, Iran in 2014. Five 5×5 m2 blocks were selected with the same elevation, slope and aspect. In each block, mature individuals of Pteropyrum aucheri were studied in 10 circular plots with 2m diameter during spring and summer. For simulating the warming phenomenon, Open-Top Chambers (OTCS) were placed on 5 plots and other plots were considered as control plots. OTC is applied in natural ecosystems and provides nearly the same growth condition for species with higher temperature. Results showed that the OTCS enhanced monthly average of air temperature (5cm above soil surface) as 1. 5 º C, surface soil temperature of 2 º C and soil temperatures (5 cm below soil surface) as 1. 7 ◦ C in warming plots. Results showed that photosynthetic pigments (Chlorophyll a, b and total) were significantly reduced and carotenoid was significantly increased with short-term warming in warming plots (p<0. 05). Water content, leaf area and dry matter production were none significantly declined with warming. In general, short-term warming affected photosynthesis performance of Pteropyrum aucheri but biomass was not considerably affected by warming.

Background: Self-medication, consumption of expired drugs and storage of medicines in unsuitable conditions causes both loss of scarce resources and health hazards.Objective: To determine the amount of home drug storage and the reasons for such attitude.Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted on 85 families in Minodar region of Qazvin (Iran) in 2006. Drugs were clustered based on OTCS, clinical application, expiration date, and storage conditions.Findings: Drug storage with no usage was seen in 82.4% out of 85 families. The frequency for distribution of the prescribed drugs was 73.1% (tablets), 98% (capsules), 75.5% (ointments), 83.1% (drops), 54% (syrups), 25% (suppositories), and 100% (ampoules). The majority of expired drugs in every single family were related to gastrointestinal drugs. Storage conditions were found to be different from one family to another, irrespective of the manufacturer’s instruction.Conclusion: Regarding the volume of home drug storage and the quality by which the drugs are stored, increasing the public’s general knowledge on drug application and storage conditions to prevent therapeutic failure and also lowering the adverse effect is necessary.

The goal of the current study is performance evaluation of Iranian OTCS companies by using stochastic dominance and optimizing them by employing Artificial Neural Network and Particle Swarm Optimization hybrid model. To fulfill this objective, we used daily and weekly return of under investigation 36 companies of OTC During the period beginning from March 21, 2014 until March 20, 2015 in which the application of stochas tic dominance criteria for nonparametric orientation and proven performance of the hybrid model is particular interest. The research results indicated the first- order, second- order, and third- order dominances in the study companies. The portfolios were based on the shares of companies ranked with respect to the stochastic dominance criterion. Considering the minimum and maximum numbers of shares to be 2 and 10 for each portfolio, an eight-share portfolio was selected as the optimal portfolio with the combination of the activation function TPT. Compared with the index of Iran OTC during the research period, the selected portfolio indicated a significantly higher performance.