ABSTRACT The antibacterial and antbiofilm activities of water extract of Calendula officinalis flowers against some of enteropathogenic bacteria was studied, also phytochemical screening and determination of antioxidant activity of the extract has been investigated. The results showed that the water extract of C. officinalis exhibited a good antibacterial activity against all pathogenic bacterial isolates (Salmonella, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei and E. coli) especially at concentration 100 µg/ml in contrast with the control cefotan antibiotic. S. sonnei was more sensitive to extract than other bacteria with highest inhibition zone (23 mm). The preliminary phytochemical tests results indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides and phenols, while tannins and reducing sugars absence in the extracts. Water extract (at concentration 100 µg/ml) caused 74.6% lipid peroxidation inhibition of linoleic acid emulsion, this activity was greater than other concentrations (25 and 50 µg/ml) and standard α-tocopherol (63%). Also, it was found that aqueous extracts decreased the adherent growth of bacteria on glass tubes. The results indicated that all isolates have the ability to form biofilms with different thickness degrees, the absorbance values were ranged between (1.04 - 1.68), the Salmonella isolate was the best isolate formed biofilm with highest absorbance value (1.68). On the other hand C. officinalis extract inhibited bacterial adhesion on polystyrene surface and consequently caused biofilms detachment and this revealed decreased in absorbance values of biofilms. These reported activities for C.officinalis flowers extract allow their listing as potential antibiofilm, antibacterial and antioxidant natural agents. This might suggest their use as therapeutic agents for treatment enteric infections.
The aim of the research is the detection of heavy metals using (Inductively coupled Plasma ICP) for samples in Tigris river at intakes of water treatment plants Baghdad (Sharq dejla, Al-Wathba, Al-Wahda, and Al-Dora) and samples at Tigris banks near (Al-Adhamya, Al-Shuhda bridge and al-Jadrya).
All the recorded results were fitted with Iraqi standers No. 25 in 1967 for all samples with heavy metals (arsenic Ar, Cadmium Cd, Chromium Cr, Zinc Zn, Lead Pb, Copper Cu, Nickel Ni, Manganese Mn, Ferrous Fe) where all concentration were lower than standard values except Cadmium (0.01- 0.014) in plants intakes and (0.027- 0.048) in river samples while the standard value is (0.005).
Other tests such as chemical oxygen demand and oil &
Soil wetted pattern from a subsurface drip plays great importance in the design of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system for delivering the required water directly to the roots of the plant. An equation to estimate the dimensions of the wetted area in soil are taking into account water uptake by roots is simulated numerically using HYDRUS (2D/3D) software. In this paper, three soil textures namely loamy sand, sandy loam, and loam soil were used with three different types of crops tomato, pepper, and cucumber, respectively, and different values of drip discharge, drip depth, and initial soil moisture content were proposed. The soil wetting patterns were obtained at every thirty minutes for a total time of irrigation equ
... Show MoreMicroalgae have been increasingly used for wastewater treatment due to their capacity to assimilate nutrients. Samples of wastewater were taken from the Erbil wastewater channel near Dhahibha village in northern Iraq. The microalga Coelastrella sp. was used in three doses (0.2, 1, and 2g. l-1) in this experiment for 21 days, samples were periodically (every 3 days) analyzed for physicochemical parameters such as pH, EC, Phosphate, Nitrate, and BOD5, in addition to, Chlorophyll a concentration. Results showed that the highest dose 2g.l-1 was the most effective dose for removing nutrients, confirmed by significant differences (p≤0.05) between all doses. The highest removal percentage was
... Show MorePrecision irrigation applications are used to optimize the use of water resources, by controlling plant water requirements through using different systems according to soil moisture and plant growth periods. In precision irrigation, different rates of irrigation water are applied to different places of the land in comparison with traditional irrigation methods. Thus the cost of irrigation water is reduced. As a result of the fact that precise irrigation can be used and applied in all irrigation systems, it spreads rapidly in all irrigation systems. The purpose of the Precision Agriculture Technology System (precision irrigation) , is to apply the required level of irrigation according to agricultural inputs to the specified location , by us
... Show MoreIn this article four samples of HgBa2Ca2Cu2.4Ag0.6O8+δ were prepared and irradiated with different doses of gamma radiation 6, 8 and 10 Mrad. The effects of gamma irradiation on structure of HgBa2Ca2Cu2.4Ag0.6O8+δ samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction. It was concluded that there effect on structure by gamma irradiation. Scherrer, crystallization, and Williamson equations were applied based on the X-ray diffraction diagram and for all gamma doses, to calculate crystal size, strain, and degree of crystallinity. I
... Show MoreSoil is the cardinal resource for agricultural crops. Healthy soil will produce healthy plants. Since healthy soil is the important goal for the farmers, they need to select the best tillage system to achieve that goal. There are two main types of tillage systems. Conservation tillage (no-tillage farming) uses agricultural machinery that performs a double function; tillage and seed farming simultaneously. In contrast, conventional tillage farming uses multiple agricultural machines to till and seed the soil. The farmers in the northern governorates of Iraq have used the conservation farming system for a long time. However, the farmers who live in the middle and southern governorates in Iraq use conventional tillage farming. Because most of
... Show MoreIn this research Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique was applied to study the filtration process in water treatment. Eight models have been developed and tested using data from a pilot filtration plant, working under different process design criteria; influent turbidity, bed depth, grain size, filtration rate and running time (length of the filtration run), recording effluent turbidity and head losses. The ANN models were constructed for the prediction of different performance criteria in the filtration process: effluent turbidity, head losses and running time. The results indicate that it is quite possible to use artificial neural networks in predicting effluent turbidity, head losses and running time in the filtration process, wi
... Show MoreTriticale is being evaluated as a substitute for corn in animal feed and as a forage crop for Florida. Storage of triticale seed is difficult in Florida's hot and humid climate, and more information about the relationships between equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) at constant temperature (sorption isotherms) of triticale is needed to develop improved storage methods. Therefore, the primary research objective was to measure the EMC for triticale seed at different ERH values at three different constant temperatures (5°C, 23°C, and 35°C) using six desiccation jars containing different saturated salt concentrations. The secondary objective was to determine the best fit equation describing these relati
... Show MoreThis paper reports an evaluation of the properties of medium-quality concrete incorporating recycled coarse aggregate (RCA). Concrete specimens were prepared with various percentages of the RCA (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The workability, mechanical properties, and durability in terms of abrasion of cured concrete were examined at different ages. The results reveal insignificant differences between the recycled concrete (RC) and reference concrete in terms of the mechanical and durability-related measurements. Meanwhile, the workability of the RC reduced vastly since the replacement of the RCA reached 75% and 100%. The ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) results greatly depend on the porosity of concrete and the RC exhibited higher poros
... Show MoreIn order to reduce hydrostatic pressure in oil wells and produce oil from dead oil wells, laboratory rig was constructed, by injecting LPG through pipe containing mixture of two to one part of East Baghdad crude oil and water. The used pressure of injection was 2.0 bar, which results the hydrostatic pressure reduction around 246 to 222 mbar and flow rate of 34.5 liter/hr fluid (oil-water), at 220 cm injection depth. Effects of other operating parameters were also studied on the behavior of two phase flow and on the production of oil from dead oil wells.