Background and Aims: Severe contamination with organic compounds and very high color is characteristic of yeast industry wastewater. Discharging this wastewater into the environment has adverse effects on the environment. The present study was conducted to determine the efficiency of the electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum electrodes for the removal of color, turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the baker's yeast industry wastewater. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the effect of current densities (60, 80, 100, and 120 A/m²) and reaction times (15, 30, 45, and 60 min) using aluminum electrode was investigated on removal efficiencies of COD, color, and turbidity. The pilot consisted of a reactor with a useful volume of 2.5 l of epoxy glass, a direct current power supply, and aluminum electrodes of 8 cm × 8 cm in diameter. Results: The highest removal efficiencies were obtained to be 83% for COD, 93% for color, and 96% for turbidity at density of 80 A/m² and 45-min contact time (pH = 7). Under these conditions, the power and electrode consumption was 16.89 kWh and 94.3 g/m³, respectively, and the treatment cost of wastewater was estimated to be 1.5 $ per each cubic meter. Conclusion: The results showed that EC process using aluminum electrode is an appropriate and effective method for removing color, turbidity, and COD from baking industry wastewater.

Aim: Anxiety reduces performance at work. Anxiety is significantly prevalent among medical staff in general, and especially operating room staff. The present study was an attempt to investigate the effect of suction-induced white noise on anxiety and hemodynamic parameters of operating room staff during cesarean section. Materials and Methods: The present study was a crossover, single-blind clinical trial on 29 scrub staff during cesarean section. The subjects were assigned once to the control group and once to the intervention group with a 10-day washout period. In the intervention group, the suction machine was left on during surgery for 3 days in a row, but in the control group, the suction machine was switched off in idle times to make sure that noise exposure time would remain below 30 min. Hemodynamic parameters of subjects were measured on the last day immediately after surgery, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure the level of anxiety. SPSS 22 software and linear mixed model were used to analyze the collected data. Results: The control and intervention groups were not significantly different in terms of hemodynamic parameters, anxiety as well as the carryover-crossover effects (P > 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between anxiety score and age of the subjects (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Suction-induced white noise has no effect on anxiety and hemodynamic parameters of operating room staff. Adaptation to workplace noises can reduce the adverse effects of noise.

Aim: This study aimed at the identification of environmental cleaning and managerial best practices for integration in competitive bidding documents for outsourcing of housekeeping services in tertiary care hospitals in India. Materials and Methods: This study design was cross-sectional. The sample comprised of tender documents of eight government super-specialty hospitals/corporations and housekeeping contract agreements of five private ones. Convenience sampling was used-current tenders of most popular government hospitals available online and housekeeping agreements of consenting popular private hospitals were considered. Excel sheet was used for the analysis. Results: Hospitals outsourced housekeeping services on performance or human resource basis, use risk classification (23%) of hospital areas for determining intensity of cleaning, and outlined scope of services (50%). Fifteen percent tenders provide comprehensive lists of material. Scrubber requirements ranged from one per 25–250 beds. In 40% tenders, scope included handling of biomedical waste. Workforce included managerial cadres. There is a focus on occupational health and safety. Quality assurance is inbuilt in the contracts including bid evaluation criteria for selecting competent agencies and penal provisions such as in case of adverse report (INR 10,000) and unsatisfactory survey reporting (1% of monthly payment). Conclusion: Since successful outsourcing must focus on above-mentioned parameters, this study provides necessary guidance for health-care administrators for patient satisfaction, positive image, reducing hospital-acquired infections, and ensuring provision of quality care services.

Aims: The main objectives of this study were evaluation of the efficiencies of bioventing (BV), soil vapor extraction (SVE) and transition regime between BV and SVE (air injection bioventing [AIBV]) for benzene and toluene removal from polluted sandy soils. Materials and Methods: Laboratory-scale set-up consisted of three cylindrical units (with 29 cm in length with a 7.29 cm i.d.) was conducted to study the removal efficiency of three in-situ remediation technologies. Results: The results showed that, after 48-h air injection with constant air flow rate of 250 mL/min, benzene (initial concentration of 1 mg/g of soil) removal efficiency in BV, SVE and AIBV reactors were almost 84, 98 and >99.5%, respectively. Also results indicated that, toluene with a similar concentration was successfully (>99.5%) reduced via AIBV technology, after 72-h continuous air injection. Conclusion: Comparison of the BV, SVE and AIBV technologies indicated that all of those technologies are efficient for remediation of unsaturated zone, but after specific remediation time frames, only AIBV able to support guide line values and protect ground waters.