Physicians are infrequently selected to serve in the yearlong role of Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) as senior science advisor for the US Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development. The authors discuss the role of a JSF in promoting “science diplomacy” from the perspective of one alumnus, who sites examples of ongoing, long-term collaborative projects including one focusing on medical education reform in Iraq that would not have been possible without the JSF program. More than 3 decades of political and social unrest, terrorism, the internal displacement of millions of Iraqi citizens, the arrival of Syrian refugees, international sanctions, and the effect of fluctuating oil prices that fund education in Iraq have all led to a standstill in modernizing educational systems and the need for reform. In 2016, new opportunities for international collaboration and travel allowed faculty from the Al …
Ten species of whiteflies (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) representing six genera were studied from a collection from different localities in the middle of Iraq. These species are Acaudaleyrodes rachipora (Singh, 1931); Bemisia afer (Priesner and Hosny,1934); Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889); Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead,1885); Dialeurodes kirkaldy (Kotinsky, 1907); Neomaskellia andropogonis Corbett, 1926; Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday, 1835); Trialeurodes ricini (Misra, 1924); Trialeurodes vapovariorum (Westwood,1856) and Trialeurodes irakeensis (Al-Malo and Abdul-Rassoul, 2000). Notes are given on their localities, date of c
... Show MoreTrichomoniasis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. It is the most common sexually transmitted protozoal infection. There is no estimated of infection intensity among reproductive-age females. Further studies of the infection intensity of trichomoniasis and other vaginal infection will highlight the importance of this pathogen as a public health problem. A total of 614 females from Baghdad city were screened for T. vaginalis from March 2015 to September 2015. Females aged 13–61 years old provided vaginal swab specimens. The vaginal fluids extracted from these swabs were checked for the presence of T. vaginalis and other vaginal infection using microscopic examination. Overall, 525 (85.5%) of 614 was scr
... Show MoreYamama Formation is an important sequence in southern Iraq. Petrographic analysis was used to determine and analyze the microfacies and pore types. The diagenetic processes and the impacts on the petrophysical properties of the rocks were also identified. The petrographic identification was based on data of 250 thin sections of cutting and core samples from four wells that were supplied by the Iraqi Oil Exploration Company (O.E.C). The present study focuses on the depositional environment and the microfacies analysis of Yamama Formation. The results revealed several types of microfacies, including peloidal wackestone-packstone, algal wackestone-packstone, bioclastic wackestone-packstone, fo
... Show MoreThis research aims to study and analyze the reality of monetary policy and financial sustainability in Iraq through either a descriptive or analytical approach by trying to link and coordinate between monetary policy and fiscal policy to enhance economic sustainability. The research is based on the hypothesis that the monetary policy of Iraq contributes to achieving financial stability, which improves economic sustainability by providing aid and assistance to the state to reduce the budget deficit and exacerbate indebtedness. The author used the monetary policy indicators, the re-deduction of Treasury transfers by the central bank and the money supply, and financial sustainability indicators, including the public debt indicators and the
... Show MoreHeavy metal (HM) pollution has long been a significant source of environmental deterioration and a problem for the safety of food. Iraqis prefer rice over any other food, and since heavy metals have a direct impact on health, their traces in rice have drawn particular attention. Before cooking rice, it is usual in Iraq to wash and soak it. Some 55 varieties of imported and local rice were sampled from Erbil city markets in 2022 with the aim of determining the concentration of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb before and after soaking. Standard procedure of acid digestions was applied on the raw and soaked samples. The solutions were analyzed using ICPE-9820 Shimadzu. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb (in mg/kg) in the rice samples bef
... Show MoreThe current study was conducted on goats in various parts of Wasit Province, Iraq, from November 2021 to April 2022. The study aims to find and identify intestinal parasites (IPs) in goats in Wasit province. The goat's fresh fecal specimens (n=180) include cysts, eggs, oocysts, trophozoites and larval stages. One hundred eighty sheep feces samples were collected, and more than one parasite was isolated from one sample (mixed infection). According to the data acquired, the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites in goats was 52.77 (95 samples). In the current investigation, eleven distinct (IPs) species with infection rates were identified, including Toxocara vitulorum (Goeze, 1782) (16.66 %), Cryptosporidium sp.( Tyzzer, 1907) (1
... Show MoreCoronavirus diseases 2021 (COVID-19) on going situation in Iraq is characterized in this paper. The pandemic handling by the government and the difficulties of public health measures enforcement in Iraq. Estimation of the COVID-19 data set was performed. Iraq is endangered to the pandemic, like the rest of the world besides sharing borders with hotspot neighbouring country Iran. The government of Iraq launched proactive measures in an attempt to prevent the viral spread. Nevertheless, reports of new cases keep escalating leaving the public health officials racing to take more firm constriction to face the pandemic. The paper bring forth the current COVID-19 scenario in Iraq, the government measures towards the public health challenges, and
... Show MoreThe Qazaniyah study included the analysis of 18 wells and 2 springs for the dry period in October 2018 and the wet period in April 2019, including the analysis of physical and chemical properties and the study of heavy elements (Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cu).The results showed that the water wells and springs for the two periods are highly mineralized and characterized by low alkalinity and very high hardness. Water was fresh in some wells and salty in the others, whereas it was fresh in the springs. Most of the wells had sodium chloride type, except the wells 12, 7, 6, and 5 which were of Calcium chloride type. The springs for both seasons had calcium chloride type. Based on the World Health Organization criteria , all the well
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