In this study tungsten oxide and graphene oxide (GO-WO2.89) were successfully combined using the ultra-sonication method and embedded with polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) to prepare novel low-fouling membranes for ultrafiltration applications. The properties of the modified membranes and performance were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle (CA), water permeation flux, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection. It was found that the modified PPSU membrane fabricated from 0.1 wt.% of GO-WO2.89 possessed the best characteristics, with a 40.82° contact angle and 92.94% porosity. The permeation flux of the best membrane was the highest. The pure water permeation flux of the best membrane showcased 636.01 L·m−2·h−1 with 82.86% BSA rejection. Moreover, the membranes (MR-2 and MR-P2) manifested a higher flux recovery ratio (FRR %) of 92.66 and 87.06%, respectively, and were less prone to BSA solution fouling. The antibacterial performance of the GO-WO2.89 composite was very positive with three different concentrations, observed via the bacteria count method. These results significantly overtake those observed by neat PPSU membranes and offer a promising potential of GO-WO2.89 on activity membrane performance.
Background: Chronic kidney disease is a condition that results from an indefinite change in the structure and function of the kidneys. A slow, steady progression characterizes it and is irreversible. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the findings of certain biochemical and hematological tests in samples from Iraqi CKD patients. Methods: This study included 90 subjects, where 70 patients with chronic kidney disease and 20 healthy individuals. Blood samples were collected from the patients during their visits to Ghazi Al-Hariri Surgical Specialties' Hospital- Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq. Age, sex and body mass index were assessed for each participant followed by renal function tests [serum blood urea, creatinine, uric acid a
... Show MoreBackground: The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19, a respiratory syndrome. It causes inflammation and damages several organs in the body. miRNAs play a role in regulating the infection resulting from SARS-CoV-2. MicroRNA-155, a kind of microRNA linked to viral defences, can affect the immune responses during COVID-19. Objectives: Examination of the involvement of microRNA-155 in the development and severity of COVID-19, as well as finding the correlation between microRNA-155 and viral load (copies/mL) in severe cases of the disease. Materials and Method: A case-control research study was performed between October 2022 and June 2023. It included a cohort of 120 hospitalised individuals with severe cases of COVID-19, together with 115 individu
... Show MoreThe organizational structure of relations between states is among the main features that distinguished the twentieth century as the era of international organization, especially after the increase in the number of political units after World War II in which regionalism was crystallized as a phenomenon. It is not modern, as there are many blocs such as the European Union that have developed in it, the idea of regional bloc is prominent, especially in Europe, as it emerged after a controversy revolved around what was called globalism in the face of Globalism vs. Regionalism. Regional, as the proponents of the global orientation saw the establishment of a global organization that includes all countries, as the best way to achieve inte
... Show MoreFabric design is one of the arts in which humans participate functionally and aesthetically. Researching its design aspects is an important goal, especially after taking technical developments to cover many of its fields. Modern designs emphasize the importance of preparing designs and implementing them according to the child’s ability, inclinations and desires (mental, psychological and emotional). ), as the child is the real focus of the design idea, and the designer has paid most of his attention to the requirements and needs of this stage (childhood stage) because of its importance in the life of society, as he focused his attention on implementing designs that could achieve stability and stability in the child’s psyche through s
... Show MoreOsteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mineral density and deterioration of bone architecture, resulting in bone strength reduction and increased fracture susceptibility. Estrogen deficiency in post-menopausal women is possibly responsible for the instability between bone formation and resorption, which is managed by specific osteoclastogenic cytokines that may be leading to resorption. This study aims to estimation of the concentrations of interleukins −8, −17, −22, beside to certain parameters in blood serum and explained their roles in the development of osteoporosis pathogenicity in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods A case-control study included 108 Iraqi postmenopausal women participa
... Show MoreNowhere is American author Shirley Jackson’s (1916-1965) social and political criticism is so intense than it is in her seminal fictional masterpiece “The Lottery”. Jackson severely denounces injustice through her emphasis on a bizarre social custom in a small American town, in which the winner of the lottery, untraditionally, receives a fatal prize. The readers are left puzzled at the end of the story as Tessie Hutchinson, the unfortunate female winner, is stoned to death by the members of her community, and even by her family. This study aims at investigating the author’s social and political implications that lie behind the story, taking into account the historical era in which the story was published (the aftermath of th
... Show MoreObjectives: To study the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women and to find out the degree of
iron deficiency anemia and to find out any association this has been found between the socio- demographic
characteristics and the degree of iron deficiency anemia.
Methodology: A cross sectional study has been conducted in Ibn-Albaldy hospital in Baghdad among 258
pregnant women attending outpatient clinics during the period from the 1st of March 2011 to fifteenth of
October 2011. Data collection was by using a previously designed questionnaire including socio-demographic
characteristics, obstetrical history. A blood sample has been obtained to estimate the hemoglobin, mean
corpuscular volume, serum iron and