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.
In this paper, we have examined the effectiveness exchange of optical vorticity via three-wave mixing (TWM) technique in a four-level quantum dot (QD) molecule by means of the electron tunneling effect. Our analytical analysis demonstrates that the TWM procedure can result in the production of a new weak signal beam that may be absorbed or amplified within the QD molecule. We have taken into account the electron tunneling as well as the relative phase of the applied lights to assess the absorption and dispersion characteristics of the newly generated light. We have discovered that the slow light propagation and signal amplification can be achieved. Our results show that the exchange o
Renewable energy resources have become a promissory alternative to overcome the problems related to atmospheric pollution and limited sources of fossil fuel energy. The technologies in the field of renewable energy are used also to improve the ventilation and cooling in buildings by using the solar chimney and heat exchanger. This study addresses the design, construction and testing of a cooling system by using the above two techniques. The aim was to study the effects of weather conditions on the efficiency of this system which was installed in Baghdad for April and May 2020. The common weather in these months is hot in Baghdad. The test room of the design which has a size of 1 m3 was situated to face the geographical south. The te
... Show MoreWe propose a new method for detecting the abnormality in cerebral tissues present within Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI). Present classifier is comprised of cerebral tissue extraction, image division into angular and distance span vectors, acquirement of four features for each portion and classification to ascertain the abnormality location. The threshold value and region of interest are discerned using operator input and Otsu algorithm. Novel brain slices image division is introduced via angular and distance span vectors of sizes 24˚ with 15 pixels. Rotation invariance of the angular span vector is determined. An automatic image categorization into normal and abnormal brain tissues is performed using Support Vector Machine (SVM). St
... Show MoreThe provided research paper offers a thorough analysis of the semiotic analysis present in tobacco-free initiative advertisements from the year 2021. The study delves into the intricate process of decoding the diverse signs, symbols, and visual components integrated into these anti-smoking campaigns. The core aim of this investigation is to comprehend and explore the semiotic tactics that underlie these advertisements, with a particular emphasis on visual communication as a pivotal tool in shaping the public's attitudes and behaviors towards tobacco usage. The research introduces a significant theoretical framework, the "Taxonomy of Image-Text Relations and Functions" theory, as proposed by Emily E. Marsh and Marilyn Dom
... Show MoreAs a kind of linguistic study, the study of presupposition in drama is one of captivating topic to explore, because of the capability of this topic to make people perceive the presupposition differently. Presupposition is one of the most important concepts in linguistics. It refers to the implicit inferences made in communication between people. These inferences are necessary to understand the utterances correctly. The research particularly endeavors to focus on the linguistic constructions that activate presupposition.
The novel has recently received great attention from readers and before them writers, due to the role it is playing, and this indicates an important rule, which is whenever there is art or creativity, there must be a criticism of its own, and this criticism is certainly no less important than its owner, so we find There are critics who have their distinguished literary position in following up the narrative development, and trying to describe the transformation of its elements, including Professor Fadel Thamer, and whoever wants to approach an element of the novel as an explorer, he must stand on the visions of this critic about it, and this is what made us take the element (personality) Tracking the most important opinions of the critic
... Show More
Research summary
Backbiting pronouns have gained great importance in contemporary textual linguistic studies, as they play a coordinating function in the text and link its parts.
Interpreters did not overlook the role of backbiting pronouns in achieving the function of consistency and coherence in the Qur’anic text, as they referred to this, including Ibn Ashour, who had many analytical practices related to referral issues and their complexities. The Qur'anic reference to the pronouns of backbiting, so the researcher traced these phenomena and their evidence in the Holy Qur'an, aiming to clarify their role in enriching the significance and in the coherence and harmony
... Show MorePharmaceutical companies assign a budget for activities and promotions that aim to change the prescription habits of the physicians to choose the most suitable medications for their patients, which will eventually grow their sales. The study's objectives were to explore physicians' and medical representatives' perspectives on the criteria of impactful professional PP and the factors influencing the interaction between physicians and medical representatives. Qualitative in-depth interviews with flexible probing techniques were carried out in 2023. A semi-structured, open-ended interview questionnaire was used to interview physicians and medical representatives (MRs) from different private clinics in several governorates in Iraq. Ten physicia
... Show More