This study analyses six political cartoons selected based on their relevance to current Iraqi political issues, specifically the period between 2005 and 2015, from American online newspapers (calgecartooms.com). The selection criteria included the cartoons' satirical elements, visual rhetoric, and their ability to engage with themes such as power dynamics, social issues, and public opinion. It sheds light on how these cartoons can function as mediators of meanings between the cartoonists and the readers. The data is examined using multimodal discourse analysis (MDA), which combines language study with the analysis of other visual elements, like colors, gestures, and images, to understand meaning (O’Halloran et al., 2011). The Visual Socia

This study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From

This study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From

Cumulative lifetime lead (Pb) exposure has been associated with accelerated declines in cognition through the free radical generation and epigenetic effects. Several pieces of literature have identified a correlation between exposure to lead and neurodegenerative disorders. Harwich strain Drosophila melanogaster was exposed to lead acetate for two weeks, and changes in pulse transmission by acetylcholinesterase and systemic redox were evaluated. Besides, molecular docking studies of acetylcholinesterase against Quercetin and its most common derivatives contained in food have been performed. Pharmacokinetic studies on Quercetin and its derivatives have also been performed in silico toxicity. The data obtained showed alterations in antioxi

In this study, NAC-capped CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/double shell QDs were synthesized in an aqueous medium to investigate their utility in distinguishing normal DNA from mutated DNA extracted from biological samples. Following the interaction between the synthesized QDs with DNA extracted from leukemia cases (represents damaged DNA) and that of healthy donors (represents undamaged DNA), differential fluorescent emission maxima and intensities were observed. It was found that damaged DNA from leukemic cells DNA-QDs conjugates at 585 nm while intact DNA (from healthy subjects) DNA–QDs conjugates at 574 nm. The obtained results from the optical analyses indicate that the prepared QDs could be utilized as probe for detecting disrupted DNA th

In this study, biodiesel was prepared from chicken fat via a transesterification reaction using Mussel shells as a catalyst. Pretreatment of chicken fat was carried out using non‐catalytic esterification to reduce the free fatty acid content from 36.28 to 0.96 mg KOH/g oil using an ethanol/ fat mole ratio equal to 115:1. In the transesterification reaction, the studied variables were methanol: oil mole ratio in the range of (6:1 ‐ 30:1), catalyst loading in the range of (9‐15) wt%, reaction temperature (55‐75 °C), and reaction time (1‐7) h. The heterogeneous alkaline catalyst was greenly synthesized from waste mussel shells throughout a calcin

Mixed ligand metal complexes of CrIII, FeIII,II, NiII and CuII have been synthesized using 5-chlorosalicylic acid (5-CSA) as a primary ligand and L-Valine (L-Val) as secondary ligand. The metal complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, electrical conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements and spectral studies. The electrical conductance studies of the complexes indicate their electrolytic nature. Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed paramagnetic nature of the all complexes. Bonding

One of the most difficult tasks in modern medical societies is the process of identifying a cure for many infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant microbes. Therefore, it has become necessary to discover new compounds that work in this regard. The currently prepared Schiff base, derived from thiazole, has a biological activity against bacteria and biofilms and its activity increases when it is associated with copper, zinc and platinum ions and forms metal complexes. This study highlights the synthesis and evaluation of novel biological compounds as inhibitors of bacterial growth and biofilms. A three newly complexes are resulting from the reaction of a new Schiff base ligand (LC) with metal ions (Zn, Cu, Pt). The new ligand (LC)