The paper discusses the use of multiclustering statistical analysis in the assessment of domestic wastewater filtration effectiveness. Calculations included data collected over four months of experiments with using waste as filling material of vertical flow filters for domestic sewage treatment. The effectiveness of pollutants removal was analysed in case of me-chanically shredded waste in the form of PET flakes, PUR foam trims, shredded rubber tires and wadding. The organic compounds (CODcr, BOD5) removal, suspend solids, biogens (as NH4+, PO43– ions) and oxygen saturation changing com-pared with sand filling was analysed. Multiclustering statistical analysis allowed to divide pollutants removal efficiency of analysed materials into 3 clusters, depending on the hydraulic loading. The first group consisted in quality parameters of treated sewage: the highest reduction of BOD5 and NH4-N. It included the values of quality parameters and indicators for the filtrates obtained at the lowest hydraulic load from columns filled with 60 cm of rubber tires or sand. The second group comprised the results for fillings containing foam, PET and rubber tires (the other hydraulic loads).It featured the highest reduction of total suspended solids and PO43–. Removal of easily biodegradable organic compounds was at a similar level in both cluster groups. The filter filled with polyester waste (wadding), which was as effective as 30 cm layer of sand, and the filters filled with 60 cm of sand working at the highest hydraulic load. Third group showed the lowest values of parameters and indicators for analysed filtrates.

In this globalized era, building materials play an essential role in the civil engineering field. Nowadays, with the increase in population, the demand for construction activities is also increasing. Polyethylene (PET) bottles are among the most widely used materials and cause an abundance of non-degradable waste, at about 0.94 million tonnes in Malaysia. One of the alternatives to reduce this waste's environmental impact is to incorporate it inside building materials such as brick and concrete. As PET bottles' recycling is highly promoted, the physical and mechanical properties of building materials made from PET bottles have also been reviewed. The data analysis shows that the compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and density of building materials decreases as the percentage of PET waste increases. However, other properties such as water absorption, initial absorption rate, and firing shrinkage increase proportionally with the PET waste. Besides, heavy metals in these building materials comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards. It can be concluded that the percentage of PET waste incorporated into brick and concrete must be less than 5% and 2%, respectively, to produce suitable materials to provide alternatives in reducing and recycling PET waste.

Nowadays, Medical imaging modalities like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT), and Computed Tomography (CT) play a crucial role in clinical diagnosis and treatment planning. The images obtained from each of these modalities contain complementary information of the organ imaged. Image fusion algorithms are employed to bring all of this disparate information together into a single image, allowing doctors to diagnose disorders quickly. This paper proposes a novel technique for the fusion of MRI and PET images based on YUV color space and wavelet transform. Quality assessment based on entropy showed that the method can achieve promising results for medical image fusion. The paper has done a comparative analysis of the fusion of MRI and PET images using different wavelet families at various decomposition levels for the detection of brain tumors as well as Alzheimer’s disease. The quality assessment and visual analysis showed that the Dmey wavelet at decomposition level 3 is optimum for the fusion of MRI and PET images. This paper also compared the results of several fusion rules such as average, maximum, and minimum, finding that the maximum fusion rule outperformed the other two.

Elaborating composites containing waste materials requires study of basic mechanical properties and assessment of their structure quality. The subject of investigation was PPC concrete where aggregate was substituted with PET remaining after beverages bottles grinding. Substitution was done up to 25% (by volume). Waste material was fractioned and applied in various granulations. The main goal was to indicate the influence of such modification on the composite mechanical properties and to examine composite structure quality at macro level. Since PET and quartz differ greatly in density, to perform such examination it was possible to apply the nondestructive ultrasonic method, one of the most common NDT techniques used in material science and industry. The paper presents the effects of substitution of quartz with PET on ultrasonic wave propagation in PCC. The ultrasonic test results (measurements of wave velocity) compared with results of destructive tests (flexural and compressive strength) showed great correlation.

Background: Pet therapy could help individuals improve their emotions; and physical and mental health. It also could be effective in the treatment of pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pet therapy, concurrent with common medication on positive, negative, cognitive and motor symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: This was a randomized control trial. Statistical population of the current study included all patients who were admitted to the Razi Psychiatric Center of Tehran and received a diagnosis of schizophrenia based on a clinical interview and DSM criteria by a psychiatrist. Thirty six patients were recruited using snowball sampling. Members of the experimental group were transported by a bus to that spot at 9 a.m on the planned days, in the company of the researcher and a nurse. Patients gave care of the rabbits (including feeding, tidying their cages, moving their cages) for 24 sessions of 90 minutes, three days per week during autumn 2016. The One-way covariance test was also used to evaluate effects of Pet therapy on positive, negative, cognitive and motor symptoms of schizophrenia. Results: finding indicated that considering scores of pre-test for positive, negative and cognitive symptoms, there is a significant difference between the two controls and experimental groups, respectively, (F = 17.04, p < 0.05), (F = 17.39, p < 0.05), (F = 152.12, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Pet therapy could be successfully applied by parents, psychologists and care givers of these patients. We suggest using pet therapy for treatment of other psychiatric disorders as well and preferably like dogs and cats.

The transition to circular economy requires diversifying material sources, improving secondary raw materials management, including recycling, and finally finding sustainable alternative materials. Both recycled and bio-based plastics are often regarded as promising

alternatives to conventional fossil-based plastics. Their broad application instead of fossilbased plastics is, however, frequently the subject of criticism because of offering limited

environmental benefits. The study presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of

fossil-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) versus its recycled and bio-based counterparts. The system boundary covers the plastics manufacturing and end-of-life plastic management stages (cradle-to-cradle/grave variant). Based on the data and assumptions set

out in the research, recycled PET (rPET) demonstrates the best environmental profile out

of the evaluated plastics in all impact categories. The study contributes to circular economy in plastics by providing transparent and consistent knowledge on their environmental

portfolio.