The kinetics of nickel removal from aqueous solutions using a bio-electrochemical reactor with a packed bed rotating cylinder cathode was investigated. The effects of applied voltage, initial nickel concentration, the rotation speed of the cathode, and pH on the reaction rate constant (k) were studied. The results showed that the cathodic deposition occurred under mass transfer control for all values of the applied voltage used in this research. Accordingly, the relationship between concentration and time can be represented by a first-order equation. The rate constant was found to be dependent on the applied voltage, initial nickel concentration, pH, and rotation speed. It was increased as the applied voltage increased and decreased as t

Face Recognition Systems (FRS) are increasingly targeted by morphing attacks, where facial features of multiple individuals are blended into a synthetic image to deceive biometric verification. This paper proposes an enhanced Siamese Neural Network (SNN)-based system for robust morph detection. The methodology involves four stages. First, a dataset of real and morphed images is generated using StyleGAN, producing high-quality facial images. Second, facial regions are extracted using Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks (R-CNN) to isolate relevant features and eliminate background noise. Third, a Local Binary Pattern-Convolutional Neural Network (LBP-CNN) is used to build a baseline FRS and assess its susceptibility to d

In order to implement the concept of sustainability in the field of construction, it is necessary to find an alternative to the materials that cause pollution by manufacturing, the most important of which is cement. Because factory wastes provide siliceous and aluminous materials and contain calcium such as fly ash and slag that are used in the production of high-strength geopolymer concrete with specifications similar to ordinary concrete, it was necessary for developing this type of concrete that is helping to reduce CO₂ (dioxide carbon) in the atmosphere. Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the influence of incorporating various percentages of slag as a replacement for fly ash and the effect of sl

Objective: The study aimed to 1) measure the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Iraqi pharmacy and medical students at a number of universities in Baghdad using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and 2) investigate the association between various sociodemographic factors and students’ HADS scores. Methods: This study was based on a cross-sectional descriptive design in four universities in Baghdad, Iraq. Depression and anxiety were screened using an Arabic version of the HADS. An online survey was administered via Qualtrics to convenience samples of students at four colleges of pharmacy and a college of medicine between March and June 2018. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated

Background: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost

Background: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost

In this study, the photodegradation of Congo red dye (CR) in aqueous solution was investigated using Au-Pd/TiO2 as photocatalyst. The concentration of dye, dosage of photocatalyst, amount of H2O2, pH of the medium and temperature were examined to find the optimum values of these parameters. It has been found that 28 ppm was the best dye concentration. The optimum amount of photocatalyst was 0.09 g/75 mL of dye solution when the degradation percent was ~ 96 % after irradiation time of 12 hours, while the best amount of hydrogen peroxide was 7μl/75 mL of dye solution at degradation percent ~97 % after irradiation time of 10 hours, whereas pH 5 was the best value to carry out the reaction at the highest degradation percent. In additio