Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, one of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), is found in various foods, including dairy products, meat, and vegetables, and most of these bacteria offer beneficial effects to humans and animals as potential probiotics with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. The aim of this study was evaluating the antibacterial efficacy of L. plantarum against some foodborne bacteria isolated from dairy products. This research involved 34 dairy products, including local and imported milk, cheese, and yogurt sold locally in Baghdad province, Iraq, during May 2022. For the isolation of L. plantarum, a special medium called MRS (de Man Rogosa and Sharpe) was applied. Colonies were purified and identified by routine bacteriological methods, Vitek2 system, and confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S rRNA gene followed by the amplicon sequencing. Other aerobic bacteria contaminating dairy products were also isolated onto sterile selective media specific for each microorganism, and the isolates were identified by routine diagnostics tests followed by verification with Vitek2 system. Then, the culture supernatant of L. plantarum was tested for its antagonistic activity toward foodborne bacteria by the use of agar well diffusion assay. The findings showed the isolation of 2 L. plantarum, 3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 4 Escherichia coli, one isolate of Bacillus subtilis, and another Staphylococcus hominis. The filtered supernatant of L. plantarum was significantly efficient in inhibiting the growth of the above bacteria. Each of E. coli and B. subtilis revealed zones of inhibition of 36 and 38 mm in diameter, respectively, while P. aeruginosa and S. hominis had inhibition zones diameters of 27 and 29 mm, respectively. This suggests that the L. plantarum supernatant possesses a broad-spectrum activity against foodborne bacteria. To conclude, locally made dairy products can hold different contaminating bacteria, which can be eliminated by using probiotics, such as L. plantarum, to avoid foodborne diseases onset.
This study investigates the role of identity as a critical factor in mediating the relationship between local and regional politics within the broader context of international relations (IR). While identity is frequently acknowledged as a catalyst for political instability and conflict, its function in fostering interdependence across political levels remains underexplored, particularly through empirical research. To address this gap, the study adopts a quantitative methodology, drawing on theories of identity politics and interdependence. A structured survey was administered to assess public perceptions of identity's influence on international engagement and its bridging role between domestic and regional political dynamics. The fi
... Show MoreMethotrexate (MTX), a folic acid antagonist is widely used for the treatment of a variety of tumors. In the present study, the possible protective effect of aqueous green tea extract (AGTE) in methotrexate-induced haematotoxicity was investigated.Four main groups of white Albino rats were used: control group, (MTX) group, following a single dose of MTX (20 mg/kg, i.p.) saline was administered for 5 days. (AGTE) group, was treated with 1.25% concentration of AGTE only for 12 days and the (MTX+AGTE) group, in thism group rats received different concentrations of AGTE (0.625, 1.25 and 2.5%), as their sole source of drinking water, 7days before and 5 days after MTX treatment. MTX induced significant decreases in RBC, Hb, Hct, WBC and pl
... Show MoreLow grade crude palm oil (LGCPO) presents as an attractive option as feedstock for biodiesel production due to its low cost and non-competition with food resources. Typically, LGCPO contains high contents of free fatty acids (FFA), rendering it impossible in direct trans-esterification processes due to the saponification reaction. Esterification is the typical pre-treatment process to reduce the FFA content and to produce fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The pre-treatment of LGCPO using two different acid catalysts, such as titanium oxysulphate sulphuric acid complex hydrate (TiOSH) and 5-sulfosalicylic acid dihydrate (5-SOCAH) was investigated for the first time in this study. The optimum conditions for the homogenous catalyst (5-SOCAH) wer
... Show MoreMixing aluminum nitrate nonahydrate with urea produced room temperatures clear colorless ionic liquid with lowest freezing temperature at (1: 1.2) mole ratio respectively. Freezing point phase diagram was determined and density, viscosity and conductivity were measured at room temperature. It showed physical properties similar to other ionic liquids. FT-IR,UV-Vis, 1H NMR and 13C NMR were used to study the interaction between its species where - CO ??? Al- bond was suggested and basic ion [Al(NO3)4]? and acidic ions [Al(NO3)2. xU]+ were proposed. Water molecule believed to interact with both ions. Redox potential was determined to be about 2 Volt from – 0.6 to + 1.4 Volt with thermal stability up to 326 ?.
Many studies dealt with the consequences of SARS CoV-2 (which cause COVID-19 infection) on the nervous system especially sensory nerves where the virus causes loss of taste and smell as it’s known, and may affect auditory nerves and be the expected cause of some hearing problems. A case-control analytic study was performed on a connivance sample of society of university students from a medical faculty. Each participant filled out a questionnaire contains demographic data and general, auditory and respiratory health condition, in addition to vaccination status. In the other side, the audio- examinations were performed on the study sample including Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) and tympanometry. Two statistical methods; chi-square and t
... Show MoreThe present study is considered the first on this sector of the Tigris River after 2003. It is designed for two aims, the first is to demonstrate the seasonal variations in physicochemical parameters of Tharthar-Tigris Canal and Tigris River; the second is to explain the possible effects of canal on some environmental properties in the Tigris River. Water samples were being collected monthly. Six sampling sites were selected, two on Tharthar Canal and four along the Tigris River, one before the confluence as a control site and the others downstream the confluence with the canal. For a period from January to December 2020, nineteen physicochemical parameters were investigated including air and water temperature, turbidity, electrical cond
... Show MoreThe specifications of lubricating oil are fundamentally the final product of materials that have been added for producing the desired properties. In this research, spherical nanoparticles copper oxide (CuO) and titanium oxides (TiO2) are added to SAE 15W40 engine oil to study the thermal conductivity, stability, viscosity of nano-lubricants, which are prepared at different concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1% by weight, and also their pour point, and flash point as five quality parameters. The obtained results show that CuO nanoparticles in all cases, give the best functionality and effect on engine oil with respect to TiO2. With 0.1 wt. % concentration, the thermal conductivity of CuO/oil and TiO2/
... Show MoreEach phenomenon contains several variables. Studying these variables, we find mathematical formula to get the joint distribution and the copula that are a useful and good tool to find the amount of correlation, where the survival function was used to measure the relationship of age with the level of cretonne in the remaining blood of the person. The Spss program was also used to extract the influencing variables from a group of variables using factor analysis and then using the Clayton copula function that is used to find the shared binary distributions using multivariate distributions, where the bivariate distribution was calculated, and then the survival function value was calculated for a sample size (50) drawn from Yarmouk Ho
... Show MoreIn recent years, the search for economic and environmentally friendly alternatives has become a global necessity to achieve sustainability and preserve raw materials. From this concept, natural bitumen (NB) derived from sulphur springs is now one of the most promising alternative energy resources for many applications, especially in asphalt pavement construction. Its low price and abundance characterise NB since sulphur springs produce thousands of tonnes of NB annually and are used in very limited fields. Two main objectives were adopted for this work. The first objective is to examine the virgin NB properties from five sulphur springs and compare them with petroleum asphalt. The second objective is to enhance NB properties by appl
... Show More