Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead levels was taken from their medical records. Results: No significant differences were noticed between the prevalence of autism and both of age (P=0.843) and gender (P=0.699). The majority of children have no family history of autism (85%). Mean blood lead level for all participants was 16.01 μg/dl. The statistically significant difference in lead level was found between autistic and non-autistic children (17.38± 1.86 μg/dl in autism group versus 14.27± 1.57 μg/dl in non-autism group) with a P value of 0.001. Discussion: Mean blood lead level was high in all participants, compared to the international values, which might indicate a high level of lead exposure in Iraqi children due to environmental pollution. Autistic children have higher lead levels than non-autistic ones and this might explain the role of lead in the etiology of autism.
Catalytic wet air oxidation of aqueous phenol solution was studied in a pilot plant trickle bed reactor using copper
oxide catalyst supported on alumina and silica. Catalysts were prepared by impregnating method. Effect of feed solution
pH (5.9, 7.3, and 9.2), gas flow rate (20%, 50%, 80%, and 100%), WHSV (1, 2, and 3 h-1), temperature (120°C, 140°C,
and 160°C), oxygen partial pressure (6, 9, 12 bar), and initial phenol concentration (1, 2, and 4 g/l).Generally, the
performance of the catalysts was better when the pH of feed solution was increased. The catalysts deactivation is related
to the dissolution of the metal oxides from the catalyst surface due to the acidic conditions. Phenol oxidation reaction
was strongly
The cyanobacterial neurotoxin
The power generation of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is being implemented in every nation worldwide due to its environmentally clean characteristics. Therefore, PV technology is significantly growing in the present applications and usage of PV power systems. Despite the strength of the PV arrays in power systems, the arrays remain susceptible to certain faults. An effective supply requires economic returns, the security of the equipment and humans, precise fault identification, diagnosis, and interruption tools. Meanwhile, the faults in unidentified arc lead to serious fire hazards to commercial, residential, and utility-scale PV systems. To ensure secure and dependable distribution of electricity, the detection of such ha
... Show MoreVanadium dioxide nanofilms are one of the most essential materials in electronic applications like smart windows. Therefore, studying and understanding the optical properties of such films is crucial to modify the parameters that control these properties. To this end, this work focuses on investigating the opacity as a function of the energy directed at the nanofilms with different thicknesses (1–100) nm. Effective mediator theories (EMTs), which are considered as the application of Bruggeman’s formalism and the Looyenga mixing rule, have been used to estimate the dielectric constant of VO2 nanofilms. The results show different opacity behaviors at different w
Psychosocial Alienation is a modern concept that arises from the capitalist and materialistic conceptions of individuals. The evergrowing competitive nature of domestic societies crystallised the concept in its modern form. The intensity of the rapid changes in the urbanised societies prevents the individuals from exploring their inner selves. Thus, a new generation is created with an alienation crisis which is reflected inward towards the self and outwards toward society. Alan Ayckbourn (1939), A British playwright, presents Alienated characters inspired by his life on and off stage. He explores their Alienation and their path toward recovery and self-realization. A Brief History of Women (2017) Ayckbourn explores the depth of the individu
... Show MoreTheoretical trends have appeared Which posed the concept of biological structures in contemporary architecture concept, Spread through the emergence of architectural production that reflect and indicate the nature of the construction structures based on the ideas and principles of biological structures in biological science: Despite the emergence of many architectural proposals that tried to explain the concept in the field of architecture, but it is not dealt with in depth and not given a comprehensive definition: So there was need to search for the concept and its beginning in the biological field as a general framework down to the field of architecture for the purpose of reducing the limits of their search framework T
... Show MoreThe work in this paper focuses on the experimental confirming of the losses in photonic crystal fibers (PCF) on the transmission of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. First HC-PCF was evacuated to 0.1 mbar then the microstructure fiber (PCF) was filled with He gas & gas. Second the input power and output power of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was measured in hollow core photonic bandgap fiber (HCPCF). In this work loss was calculated in the hollow core photonic crystal fiber (HCPCF) filled with air then N2, and He gases respectively. It has bean observed that the minimum loss obtained in case of filling (HC-PCF) with He gas and its equal to 15.070 dB/km at operating wavelength (1040-1090) nm.
Background: Tubal ligation, recognized as a surgical intervention that ensures permanent contraception, has established itself as an option for women seeking a definitive solution for family planning. Objective: To assess the psychosexual implications of tubal ligation in a sample of women in Baghdad, Iraq. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a teaching hospital for 2 years, from the first of January 2022 to the end of December 2023, in which 203 women who underwent tubal ligation were included. Results: In the present study, we found that 158 (77.8%) had no depression, mild depression presented in 27 (13.3%), and moderate depression in only 15 (7.4%). While 163 (80.3%) of women did not suffer from anxiety, 32 (15.8
... Show MoreThis paper presents the intricate issues and strategies related to the translation of children's books, and it particularly focuses on the comparative analysis of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter and "Le Petit Prince" (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The study finds that the typical problems in translation are, idiomatic expressions, cultural reference, and the voice preservation, along side-sheet-specific challenges which each of the text faces. The translator of Potter's work should have skills of transposing all culturally oriented peculiarities of the UK land to the international audience to keep it accessible. On the contrary, "Le Petit Prince" translation will be the process of capturing the abstra
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