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.
Shatt al-Arab is the only navigational artery in Iraq, extending from the city of Qurna to its mouth in the Arabian Gulf at the city of Al-Fao within the governorate of Basrah for a length of approximately 204 km. Its width ranges from 400 m to 2000 m, and its depth ranges from 8 m to 20 m. The southern part of it, 93 km long from Umm al-Rassas Island to Ras al-Bisha, represents the international border between Iraq and Iran, where the Thalweg line represents the border between the two countries, which is the deepest point in the riverbed (according to the 1975 Algiers Agreement). The western bank (the Iraqi side) within the common border of Shatt al-Arab is subject to continuous erosion, which leads to the shifting of t
... Show MoreThe application of physiological oxygen (physoxia) concentrations is becoming increasingly commonplace within a mammalian stem cell culture. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) attract widespread interest for clinical application due to their unique immunomodulatory, multi-lineage potential, and regenerative capacities. Descriptions of the impact of physoxia on global DNA methylation patterns in hMSCs and the activity of enzymatic machinery responsible for its regulation remain limited. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-hMSCs, passage 1) isolated in reduced oxygen conditions displayed an upregulation of SOX2 in reduced oxygen conditions vs. air oxygen (21% O2, AO), while no change was noted for either OCT-4 or NA
... Show MoreIn the present study, advanced oxidation treatment, the TiO2 /UV/H2O2 process was applied to decolorisation of the reactive yellow dyes in aqueous solution. The UV radiation was carried out with a 6 W low-pressure mercury lamp. The rate of color removal was studied by measuring the absorbency at a characteristic wavelength. The effects of H2O2 dosage, dye initial concentration and pH on decolorisation kinetics in the batch photoreactor were investigated. The highest decolorisation rates were observed (98.8) at pH range between 3 and 7. The optimal levels of H2O2 needed for the process were examined. It appears that high levels of H2O2 could reduce decolori
... Show MoreIn Baghdad city, Iraq, the traffic volumes have rapidly grown during the last 15 years. Road networks need to reevaluate and decide if they are operating properly or not regarding the increase in the number of vehicles. Al-Jadriyah intersection (a four-leg signalized intersection) and Kamal Junblat Square (a multi-lane roundabout), which are two important intersections in Baghdad city with high traffic volumes, were selected to be reevaluated by the SIDRA package in this research. Traffic volume and vehicle movement data were abstracted from videotapes by the Smart Traffic Analyzer (STA) Software. The performance measures include delay and LOS. The analysis results by SIDRA Intersection 8.0.1 show that the performance of the roundab
... Show MoreThe recent advancements in security approaches have significantly increased the ability to identify and mitigate any type of threat or attack in any network infrastructure, such as a software-defined network (SDN), and protect the internet security architecture against a variety of threats or attacks. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are among the most popular techniques for preventing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on any kind of network. The objective of this systematic review is to identify, evaluate, and discuss new efforts on ML/DL-based DDoS attack detection strategies in SDN networks. To reach our objective, we conducted a systematic review in which we looked for publications that used ML/DL approach
... Show MoreObjective: Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a common inflammatory disease that causes destruction to the supporting tissues of the teeth. Many treatment modalities tried to stop the disease progression. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is one of the regenerative methods that used in adjunct to conventional periodontal treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of PRP by monitoring the lymphocyte count before and after its application to the periodontal pocket. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients, with CP and a pocket depth equal to or deeper than 4 mm, subjected to scaling, root planing, and PRP injection into the pocket. The lymphocyte count measured before an
Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), or Tic Douloureux, is one of the most common neuropathic pains. Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GNSRS) has been considered one of the procedures for treating primary TN. Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of GNSRS in treating primary TN in patients who are unresponsive to medical treatment in a single-center experience. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 180 patients from January 2018 to October 2021. The study utilized the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain intensity score to assess pain before and after GNSRS treatment. Results: A total of 180 patients with primary TN were included in this study, 108 female with a 1.5:1 female: male ratio. Results
... Show MoreObjectives: Serratia marcescens is a gram-negative pathogen of many species. The ability of S. marcescens to form biofilms and its potent innate resistance to antimicrobials and cleaning solutions are both essential for its pathogenicity and survival. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) on the biofilm of S. marcescens, as an alternative for antibiotic therapy. Methods: Different specimens, including ear swabs, burns, mid-stream urine, wound swabs, and sputum, were collected from patients who were brought to Al-Ramadi Hospital, Iraq. All samples were cultured, and the colonies that were obtained were detected using the VITEK® 2 compact. The ability of biofilms to develop was e
... Show MoreIn this research, the performance of electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum (Al) electrodes with Monopolar- parallel (MP-P), and bipolar - series (BP-S) arrangement for simultaneous removal of dissolved silica, and hardness ions (calcium, and magnesium) from synthetic blowdown water of cooling tower were investigated. The effects of current density, initial pH and time of electrolysis on the removal efficiency were studied in a batch stirred unit to find out the best-operating conditions. The obtained results for each target species are evidence that BP-S approach is the best for both electrodes configuration operated at a Current density of 1mA/cm2 through 30 min of treatment and pH=10 with the removal of
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