Background: Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered one of the emerging strategies that has been highlighted recently in the food industry for microbial decontamination and mycotoxin detoxification, due to its unique provisional characteristics. Aim: The effectiveness of PAW for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) detoxification in naturally contaminated poultry feeds with its impacts on the feed quality were inspected. Methods: PAW-30 and PAW-60 were utilized for feed treatment for six time durations (5, 10, 15, 20, 40 and 60 min) each. The alterations in the physicochemical properties of PAW after different time durations of plasma inducement and treatment with and without feed samples were monitored. Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was employed for estimation of mycotoxin levels and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was utilized for results confirmation. Feed composition analyses with peroxide values (PVs) estimation were implemented according to standard analytical methods. Results: The physicochemical properties of PAW showed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in pH value from 6.72 to 2.68 and a significant increase (P<0.05) in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), electrical conductivity (EC) and temperature from 235 mV, 5.1 μS/cm and 20.5 °C to 499.2 mV, 727.6 μS/cm and 26.8 °C, respectively after 60 min of plasma inducement in a time-dependent manner. The mycotoxins decay kinetics after PAW application were illustrated. Mycotoxins degradation efficiency significantly increased (P<0.05) with increasing water activation time. A significant increase (P<0.05) in AFB1, OTA and FB1 degradation levels was reported mainly during the first 10 min of treatment for AFB1 and the first 15 min for OTA and FB1 to record values of 28.33, 32.14 and 34.62% and 33.80, 40.70 and 43.38% after 60 min of feed exposure to PAW-30 and PAW-60, respectively. Significant differences (P<0.05) between examined mycotoxins in their degradation levels were recorded, where FB1 exhibited the highest degradation levels. Generally, feed compositions were slightly affected by PAW and fats were still having good quality. Conclusion: The possibility of PAW for degrading more than a quarter to a third of the original quantity of targeted mycotoxins in poultry feeds after 10 min of treatment with a slight effect on feed quality.
In Iraq, more than 1031 school projects have been halted due to disputes and claims resulting from financial, contractual, or other issues. This research aims to identify, prioritize, and allocate the most critical risk factors that threaten these projects’ success for the duration (2017-2022). Based on a multi-step methodology developed through systematic literature reviews, realistic case studies, and semi-structured interviews, 47 risk factors were identified. Based on 153 verified responses, the survey reveals that the top-ranked risk factors are corruption and bribery, delaying the payments of the financial dues to the contractors or sub-contractors, absence of risk management strategy, multiple change orders due
... Show MoreMethicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the principal nosocomial causative agents. This bacterium has the capability to resist wide range of antibiotics and it is responsible for many diseases like skin, nose and wounds infection. In this study, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR was applied with ten random primers to examine the molecular diversity among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates in the hospitals and to investigate the genetic distance between them. 90 Isolates were collected from clinical specimens from Iraqi hospitals for a total of 90 isolates. Only 10 strains (11.11%) were found to be MRSA. From these 10 primers, only 9 gave clear amplification products. 91 fragment l
... Show MoreMany critics suggest that Beckett’s early plays are comic because they focus their analyses on the use comic elements. Waiting for Godot is one of Beckett’s early plays, and it has been heavily analyzed and read as a comic text partly because its subtitle is “a tragicomedy in two acts” and also because of the comic techniques used in the play. The present paper, however, attempts to read the play as a piece in which comedy fails to produce any effects on the characters who remain apparently very desperate and frustrated throughout the play. The characters perform different comic acts, but they do not really feel amused or entertained. The paper suggests that the acts these characters put on stage are only means to pass t
... Show MoreABSTRICT:
This study is concerned with the estimation of constant and time-varying parameters in non-linear ordinary differential equations, which do not have analytical solutions. The estimation is done in a multi-stage method where constant and time-varying parameters are estimated in a straight sequential way from several stages. In the first stage, the model of the differential equations is converted to a regression model that includes the state variables with their derivatives and then the estimation of the state variables and their derivatives in a penalized splines method and compensating the estimations in the regression model. In the second stage, the pseudo- least squares method was used to es
... Show MoreThe rapid change in economic is a serious challenge facing all countries around the world, even developed ones. This challenge is increasing as the world enters the age of knowledge in which different knowledge and technologies have emerged and the distance between the emergence of scientific knowledge and its actual application on the ground has been reduced as well as the growing role of science and technology in community development. One of the most important technology amongst these technologies is nanotechnology, where this technology plays a major role in the development of products and modern devices and reduces cost with quality improvement. This technology is cross-cultural, requires a comprehensive knowledge structure and depe
... Show MoreFine aggregates used for concrete works in Sulaymaniyah city frequently fail to meet the standard requirements for gradation and fineness modulus in cement concrete. This paper aims to critically evaluate gradation, fineness modulus, and clay contents of various natural sands produced and used for concrete work in the region. Sixteen field sand samples were collected from various sites in Darbandikhan (5 samples), Qalat Dizah (5 samples), Koysinjaq (5 samples), and Piramagroon (1 sample) confirming to ASTM D75. The field samples were parted into test specimens based on ASTM C702. Then, sieve analysis was carried out on the oven-dry test specimens in compliance with ASTM C136. The test results of fine aggregates wer
... Show MoreObjective(s): assessment of the health follow up and weight control for women with osteoporosis and find out the relationship between their health follow up and weight control and their socio-demographic characteristics.
Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted on women with osteoporosis for the period of September, 26th 2020 to Jun, 20th 2021. Non- probability (convenient) sample of (70) women with osteoporosis selected from (5) Private Clinics for Joints and Fractures in Baqubah City. A questionnaire was designed though extensive review of literatures and it consists of three parts: the first part includes women’s socio demographic characteristics, the second part inclu
... Show MoreChromatographic and spectrophotometric methods for the estimation of mebendazole in
pharmaceutical products were developed. The flow injection method was based on the oxidation of
mebendazole by a known excess of sodium hypochlorite at pH=9.5. The excess sodium hypochlorite is then
reacted with chloranilic acid (CAA) to bleach out its color. The absorbance of the excess CAA was recorded
at 530 nm. The method is fast, simple, selective, and sensitive. The chromatographic method was carried out
on a Varian C18 column. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile (ACN), methanol (MeOH), water
and triethylamine (TEA), (56% ACN, 20% MeOH, 23.5% H2O, 0.5% TEA, v/v), adjusted to pH = 3.0 with
1.0 M hy
Groundwater is an important source of fresh water especially in countries having a decrease in or no surface water; therefore itis essential to assess the quality of groundwater and find the possibility of its use in different purposes (domestic; agricultural; animal; and other purposes). In this paper samples from 66 wells lying in different places in Baghdad city were used to determine 13 water parameters, to find the quality of groundwater and evaluate the possibility of using it for human, animal and irrigation by calculating WQI, SAR, RSC and Na% and TDS indicators. WQI results showed that the groundwater in all wells are not qualified for human use, while SAR and RSC indicated that most samples are suitable for irrigation use, and
... Show More