Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruit crops and belongs to the Arecaceae family. It originated in Mesopotamia (Iraq) in 4000 BC. Large areas of palm groves in Iraq produce various types of dates for internal consumption and export. Their cultivation has spread and has become a significant crop in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East. Date fruits are widely consumed in Iraq, and radiological monitoring of this crop is necessary as activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were measured in 12 soil samples and 12 date samples from 12 palm groves on the AL-Karkh side, west of Baghdad governorate, Iraq. Using gamma spectrometry HPGe detector, it was found that the average activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in the soil samples for 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were 34 ± 1, 26 ± 7, 653 ± 121, and 4 ± 2 Bq kg−1, respectively. And on the date fruits sample were 1 ± 1, 1 ± 1, 310 ± 39, and 1 ± 1 Bq kg−1, respectively. Also, radiation hazard indicators were calculated. All results were within the recommended approximate values for UNSCEAR and below the safety standards of the IAEA.
As Albizia lebbeck is one of the important species in Iraq and the region, its wood has subjected to investigation through the assessment of differences in its element dimensions and specific gravity under Baghdad conditions. Variations of fiber length, fiber width, cell wall thickness, vessel diameter, and density of wood were examined along the stem and horizontally. Results showed that fiber lengths were within the normal range, but their widths were narrower than common range of hardwoods. There were little increase in fiber length, width, wall thickness as the height position increased. Vessel diameter has been affected contrarily. No significant effects of height on specific gravity could be
... Show MoreVariation order plays an important role in calculating the final cost and time. The paper aims to determine the causes of variation orders in projects performed between 2007-2014 in Erbil governorate projects. Data was collected from contract documents. Performed in the Erbil governorate projects from 2007-2014. The study seeks to identify the most significant causes of delays by assessing the common causes of delays in terms of frequency, severity and
important indices of owners, consultants and contractors related to&n
... Show MoreThe volatility of the financial markets and the oil market plays a major role in influencing macroeconomic activity, as well as the high interaction between the both markets and the remarkable sensitivity to their each other fluctuations which cause the undesirable impact on other economic sectors as an expected result due the mentioned interaction.
The study aimed to analyze the relationship between the volatility of the major US market indices represented by the DJIA index, S & P500, due to their comprehensiveness of the financial market, as they summarize the performance of the entire US market which is the largest economy in the world, as well as the difference in the calculation mechanism, and oi
... Show MoreThe present work included a study of benthic algae on two substrates: rocks and clay on a section of the Tigris River at the Al-Atifiyah site in the fall of 2018. The result of this study was recorded 89 species belong to 50 genus of benthic algae on both substrates and composed of Bacillariophyceae (59.6%, 61.2%), Chlorophyceae (25.8%, 20.4%) and Cyanophyceae (14.5%, 18.3%) respectively on epilithic and epipelic algae. The present study was recorded the highest total algae cell density (1173.2 cells *103/cm2) on epilithic algae while the lowest total algae cell density was recorded on epipelic algae (76.95 cells *103/gm). For measure div
The study was conducted in the Tigris River in Baghdad during May 2021 until March 2022 to follow the impact of climate change, rising temperatures, and the presence of pollutants on the dynamics of phytoplankton and some physicochemical variables from four sites. The results showed that the climatic conditions during different seasons, in addition to the nature of the sampling sites, have a clear and significant impact on the studied traits and, in turn, affect the phytoplankton community. The highest average temperature (30.67 ˚C) was recorded; the pH values ranged between 8.70 & 6.75; the electrical conductivity (1208.18-770.11 µS/cm ) and the total dissolved solids (TDS) (778.95- 439.49 mg/L) were evaluated. Upon measuring
... Show MoreNanopesticides are novel plant protection products offering numerous benefits. Because nanoparticles behave differently from dissolved chemicals, the environmental risks of these materials could differ from conventional pesticides. We used soil–earthworm systems to compare the fate and uptake of analytical‐grade bifenthrin to that of bifenthrin in traditional and nanoencapsulated formulations. Apparent sorption coefficients for bifenthrin were up to 3.8 times lower in the nano treatments than in the non‐nano treatments, whereas dissipation half‐lives of the nano treatments were up to 2 times longer. Earthworms in the nano treatments accumulated approximately 50% more b