Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the most common process for dealing with primary and secondary wastewater sludge. In the present work, four pre-treatment methods (ultrasonic, chemical, thermal, and thermo-chemical) are investigated in Al-Rustumya Wastewater Treatment plant in order to find their effect on biogas production and volatile solid removal efficiency during anaerobic digestion.
Two frequencies of ultrasonic wave were used 30 KHz and 50 KHz during the pre-treatment. Sodium hydroxide was added in different amounts to give three pH values of 9, 10 and 11 in chemical pre-treating processes. The sludge was heated at 60oC and 80oC through thermal pre-treatment experiment. Also, the sludge was treated thermo-chemically at 80 oC and pH

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age with primary manifestations of infertility, menstrual dysfunction and clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism (hirsutism, acne and elevated androgen). Adiponectin is the most abundant adipokine. It has insulin-sensitizing, anti-atherogenic, and antiinflammatory actions.Objective: Low adiponectin levels in women with PCOS have been largely attributed to obesity which is common among these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure adiponectin levels in normal weight women with PCOS and its contribution to development of disease.Subjects and Methods: Fifty two (52) women were included in this study with age ra

Background: The prevalence of both obesity & diabetes are increasing all over the world & more in women.  They have a negative impact not only on morbidity & mortality but also on quality of life.

Objectives: To assess the HRQoL with a specific comparison between obese & normal weight among wo

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the color change ∆E of the dental enamel following treatment with 2 kinds of protector (icon infiltrant, clinpro varnish) before fixed orthodontic treatment to avoid the possible white spot lesions. Materials and Methods: Fifty four subjects treated with fixed appliances were divided into 3 groups: the 1st group was control, while the 2nd and 3rd groups were treated with icon infiltrant and clinpro varnish before bonding procedure, respectively. Color parameters (L,a,b) were recorded for the middle and gingival thirds before and after bonding procedure to get the ∆E of each group. Results: One-way ANOVA test showed a non-significant difference in ∆E between the 3 groups a

An electrolytic process for the removal of Zn(II) from aqueous solution using a parallel amalgamated copper screens cathode operated in the flow through mode is proposed. The current-potential curves recorded at a rotating amalgamated copper disc electrode were used to determine diffusion coefficient of Zn(II). The performance of electrolytic reactor was investigated by using different flow rates at initial zinc ion concentration(48 mg/L). Taking into account the residential Zn(II) concentration, the best results were obtained for cathode potential of (-1.35 V vs. SCE) at flow rate (320 L/h). Zinc ion concentration was found to decrease from 48 mg/L to 1 mg/L during 120 min. of electrolysis. The experimental data are well correlate

Background: Intense pulsed light (IPL) devices produce polychromatic incoherent high-intensity pulsed light with a specified wavelength spectrum, fluence, and pulse duration through the use of flashlamps and bandpass filters. Similar to lasers, IPL devices operate on the selective photothermolysis principle, with melanin acting as the chromophore. Despite this similarity, they are constructed differently and produce different amounts of light Aim of the study: To investigate the efficacy of IPL home-use device in hair reduction technique for women with unwanted facial hair. Subjects and methods: The study was conducted in Baghdad on forty-five female subjects with Fitzpatrick skin phototype (II to IV) and black, brown hair in a period of ei

Background This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of once-daily liraglutide as an add-on to oral antidiabetics (OADs) on glycemic control and body weight in obese patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods A total of 27 obese T2D patients who received 7 months (0.6 mg/day for the first month, 1.2 mg/day for 3 months, and 1.8 mg/day for 3 months) of liraglutide treatment as an add-on to OADs were included. Data on body weight (kg), fasting plasma glucose (FPG, mg/dL), postprandial glucose (PPG, mg/dL), and HbA1c (%), were recorded. Results Liraglutide doses of 1.2 mg/day and 1.8 mg/day were associated with significant decreases in body weight (by 8.0% and 11.9%, respectively, p < 0.01 for each) and HbA1c (by 20.0

In this work, a Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) sensor based on the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology was proposed. A thin layer of gold (Au) was deposited on a D-shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF), which was coated with plasmonic chemically stable gold material with a thickness of 40nm. The performance parameters like sensitivity including wavelength sensitivity and amplitude sensitivity and resolution were evaluated by simulation using COMSOL software. The proposed sensor was created by using the finite element approach, it is numerically examined. The results show that the surface of D-shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber coated with Au behaves as a sensor to detect the refractive index (IR) of toxic metal ions. The impacts of the str