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The present study was designed to determine the levels of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, Mn, Cd, and Co), Mn, and As in Iranian-grown rice and imported rice consumed in Neyshabur City. For this research, 90 samples from 30 different brands widely consumed in this city were collected. The content of heavy metals and the health risks associated with their use were then studied. The study found that Zn (14.21 mg kg -1 ) had the highest content in Iranian and imported rice varieties, whereas Cd (0.02 mg kg -1 ) had the lowest value. The health risk assessment was also done in three scenarios and separately for two types of rice. The results showed that the total hazard quotient (i.e., THQ) was measured for all metals and all three scenarios, and for both types of rice, it is THQ > 1, which indicates the risk of non-carcinogenic in rice. The cancer risk for three scenarios and two types of imported and Iranian rice is in the unsafe range for As (8.80 × 10 -4 to 7.00 × 10 -3 ), Ni (4.60 × 10 -4 to 3.60 × 10 -3 ) and Cr (2.20 × 10 -4 to 1.90 × 10 -3 ) and negligible for Pb (1.09 × 10 -6 to 1.49 × 10 -5 ) and Cd (7.83 × 10 -6 to 8.20 × 10 -5 )., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The identification of volatile organic components in snuff was accomplished using GC-MS analysis in this study. The findings of the GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of nicotine, its derivatives, and several other toxic chemicals that are hazardous to human health. Furthermore, the content of 34 elements in four brands of snuff consumed in Neyshabur City was determined by ICP-OES analysis (with five repetitions). The health hazards of measured heavy elements were examined from two perspectives: carcinogenic (7 heavy elements were checked) and non-carcinogenic (4 heavy elements were checked). The investigation of non-carcinogenic hazards from inhalation was based on the computation of the hazard quotient (HQ) factor, and the results indicated that inhaling five heavy metals, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn, and Cd, does not represent a substantial health risk ((HQ < 1). In contrast, the computed HQ factors for Cr and As were relatively high (1 < HQ < 10), indicating a substantial health risk from breathing these two elements. The carcinogenic factor (CR value) results revealed that the degree of carcinogenic risk for Cd was very low (CR value less than 1 × 10 -6 ) and did not pose a concern to the consumer population. However, the risk of As, Cr, and Ni exposure is considerable in the carcinogenic risk range (CR values between 1 × 10 -6 and 1 × 10 -4 )., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

This study aimed to determine and analyze heavy metal pollution in the street dust of Neyshabur city of Iran. In this regard, the concentration of ten heavy metals, including Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Co, and Cd, was measured at 60 street dust samples. The samples from Neyshabur city in three zones were collected, including high traffic, low traffic, and rural. Twenty samples in each area, 10-sample in summer and 10-sample in winter, were studied. The average concentration of the target heavy metals (mg kg -1 ) in the street dust samples was as follows: 50514.09 for Al, 42473.33 for Fe, 647.4 for Mn, 230.07 for Zn, 146.44 for Cu, 96.18 for Cr, 73.25 for Ni, 40.56 for Pb, 14.86 for Co, and 1.32 for Cd. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that non-carcinogenic risk assessment for all quantified heavy metals was less than the allowed values. In addition, the carcinogenic risk assessment of these metals indicated high carcinogenic-risk indexes through exposure to Cr for adults and exposure to Cr, Co, and Ni for children. As a consequence of this investigation, efforts to avoid the transmission of heavy metals in the environmental soil of Neyshabur city should be encouraged., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Purpose: This study was designed to measure the concentrations of heavy (Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn) metals in water, soil, and frequently edible leafy vegetables in the Iranian population and assessed the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk in consumers., Methods: The samples of soil, water, and vegetables were collected from forms near the Tehran-Mashhad highway in Neyshabur, Iran. The content of heavy metals in the samples was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry., Results: The average concentrations of Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn were 5.56, 3.35, 4.74, 2.95, and 5.27 mg/kg, respectively. Lead concentration in all of the vegetable samples was higher than the permissible value endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) / Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In contrast, the concentrations of all the other heavy metals in the samples were less than the maximum permissible levels recommended by WHO/FAO. Similarly, the water and soil samples were highly contaminated by Lead. The hazard quotient (HQ) of all the heavy metals was distinctively less than one, and it did not exceed 0.3 in any of the age groups. Furthermore, the carcinogenic risk for nickel was only higher than the recommended value, especially in women., Conclusion: While it seems that consuming vegetables has no acute health risk related to heavy metals, long-term and regular ingestion of the vegetables are likely to make cancer risk. Besides, due to the high concentration of Pb in soil and vegetables, regular and integrated assessment of heavy metals in soil, water, and food is necessary., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestWe wish to draw the attention of Editor the the following fact that there is no conflict of interest in this work., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.)

Heavy metals attract a great deal of attention nowadays due to their potential accumulation in living creatures and transference in the food chain. Sediments of water reservoirs are considered to be a source of accumulation of these metals that develop in response to human activities and soil erosion. This study collected 180 samples of the surface sediments of water reservoir 1 at Chahnimeh in Sistan. Efficiency of the ANFIS model was evaluated to estimate the five bonds following the measurement of parameters in the laboratory.The following results were obtained for the parameters: organic carbon (OC) %, 0.31; cation exchange capacity (CEC), 37.07 Cmol kg; total Pb, 25.19 mg/kg; clay %, 45.87; and silt %, 39.02. These parameters were used as input for the training model. In the output layer, lead bonds were chosen as modeling targets in the following way: Pb f1 (4.61); Pb f2 (0.54); Pb f3 (16.28); Pb f4 (3.42); and Pb f5 (0.38) mg/kg. The best input compound in this model was chosen using the gamma test. From a total of 180, 88 data were considered for the model training section. Eventually, the neural-fuzzy model (subtractive clustering), developed for the prediction of lead bonds in the studied region, was able to account for over 99% of lead bonds in the sediments; considering statistical criteria of root mean squares error or RMSE (0.0337-0.0813) and determination coefficient or R 2 (0.92-0.99), this model showed good performance with regard to prediction.

The complicated cognitive processes involved in natural (primary) bilingualism lead to significant cognitive development. Executive functions as a fundamental component of human cognition are deemed to be affected by language learning. To date, a large number of studies have investigated how natural (primary) bilingualism influences executive functions; however, the way acquired (secondary) bilingualism manipulates executive functions is poorly understood. To fill this gap, controlling for age, gender, IQ, and socio-economic status, the researchers compared 60 advanced learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to 60 beginners on measures of executive functions involving Stroop, Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) and Wechsler's digit span tasks. The results suggested that mastering English as a foreign language causes considerable enhancement in two components of executive functions, namely cognitive flexibility and working memory. However, no significant difference was observed in inhibitory control between the advanced EFL learners and beginners.

In the present study, 180 sediment samples were collected from the Chahnimeh 1 reservoir to investigate the concentration of metal and sequential extraction. Five geochemical phases (exchangeable fraction, carbonate fraction, Fe/Mn oxide fraction, organic fraction and residual fraction) for the determination of the speciation of heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Mn, Ni) as proposed by Tessier was applied to sediments collected from Chahnimeh 1. Results were obtained for nickel and cadmium, as over 40 % of metal was present in the exchangeable phase and bound to carbonate. According to the risk assessment code (RAC), sediments that have 31 to 50 % carbonate and exchangeable fraction are high risk. Similar results were obtained for zinc and lead. The major fraction of the two metals (63 % of the total concentration for lead and 85 % of the total concentration for zinc) occurred in the residual phase and fraction-bound hydrous Fe-Mn oxides. The risk assessment showed moderate risk for lead and no risk for zinc. This indicates that the Igeo and IPOLL used in the present investigation showed no pollution to moderate pollution in terms of metals in sediments.