A total of sixty raw milk samples were collected from (street vendors and shops) from Baghdad city, Iraq. The samples were inoculated into peptone water and, then, subcultured onto MacConkey agar and Blood agar. Identification of isolates was confirmed by microscopic examination, cultural characteristic, biochemical tests, Vitek (VITEK®2 system), and Biolog GN substrate reactions followed by 16S rRNA and specific genes sequencing. Of 60 raw cow’s milk samples, Providencia spp. were identified only in 4 samples (6.67%) and P. rettgeri was the most common, 2/4 (50%), followed by P. stuartii and P. vermicola, 1/4 (25%). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted against ten antibiotics by the disc diffusion method. All Providencia isolates showed multidrug resistance (MDR), and the absolute resistant was 100% to tetracycline, erythromycin, and doxycycline and 50% against ampicillin\sulbactam and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. They were highly susceptible (100%) to trimethoprim, imipenem, and chloramphenicol. These findings indicate that milk might be contaminated with Providencia spp. leading to transmission to humans causing poisoning, diarrhea, and other infections. This is the first study of isolated Providencia spp. from raw cow’s milk.
The health of Roadway pavement surface is considered as one of the major issues for safe driving. Pavement surface condition is usually referred to micro and macro textures which enhances the friction between the pavement surface and vehicular tires, while it provides a proper drainage for heavy rainfall water. Measurement of the surface texture is not yet standardized, and many different techniques are implemented by various road agencies around the world based on the availability of equipment’s, skilled technicians’ and funds. An attempt has been made in this investigation to model the surface macro texture measured from sand patch method (SPM), and the surface micro texture measured from out flow time (OFT) and British pendul
... Show MorePiroxicam (PIR) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug of oxicam category, used in gout, arthritis, as well as other inflammatory conditions (topically and orally). PIR is practically insoluble in water, therefore the aim is prepare and evaluate piroxicam as liquid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system to enhance its dispersibility and stability. The Dispersibilty and Stability study have been conducted in Oil, Surfactant and Co-surfactant for choosing the best materials to dissolve piroxicam. The pseudo ternary phase diagrams have been set at 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 as well as 4:1 ratio of surfactants and co-surfactants, also there are 4 formulations were prepared by using various concentrations of transcutol HP, cremophore EL and triacetin
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Iraqi sumac seeds (Rhus coriaria. L) (Anacardiaceae). Total phenolic compounds and flavoniods were determined in three different sumac seed extracts (SSE) (aqueous,ethanolic and methanolic extract). For extraction Antioxidant activity of SSE were evaluated by various antioxidant assays, including total antioxidant capacity, reducing power,by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging, Hydroxyl radical scavenging, and metal ion chelating activities. These various antioxidant activities were compared with ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant.The results showed that the three(SSE), contained large amounts of phenolic and flavonio
... Show MoreThis study explores the role of nanomaterials in the performance of asphalt binders and mixtures. Two commonly available nanomaterials, i.e., nanosilica (NS) and nanoalumina (NA), were used at contents of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by weight of asphalt binder. A set of experiments was carried out at the binder level to investigate properties such as penetration, softening point, aging-related mass loss, nanomaterial dispersion (storage stability), and workability (rotational viscosity). In addition, the suitability of NS and NS was also assessed through the testing of nanomodified asphalt mixtures, which focused on Marshall properties, the resilient modulus, moisture susceptibility, permanent deformation, and fatigue resistance. The findings in
... Show MoreNumerical simulations are carried out to assess the quality of the circular and square apodize apertures in observing extrasolar planets. The logarithmic scale of the normalized point spread function of these apertures showed sharp decline in the radial frequency components reaching to 10-36 and 10-34 respectively and demonstrating promising results. This decline is associated with an increase in the full width of the point spread function. A trade off must be done between this full width and the radial frequency components to overcome the problem of imaging extrasolar planets.
In this study, silica-graphene oxide nano–composites were prepared by sol-gel technique and deposited by spray pyrolysis method on glass substrate. The effect of changing the graphene/silica ratio on the optical properties and wetting of these nano–structures has been investigated. The structural and morphological properties of the thin films have been studied by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and atomic force microscope (AFM). XRD results show that silica structures present in the synthesized films exhibit amorphous character and there is a poor arrangement in graphene plates al
The process for preparing activated carbon (AC) made from tea residue was described in this paper. Investigated were the physicochemical characteristics and adsorption efficiency of the produced AC. Activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and carbonization at 350 °C are the two key steps in the manufacturing of AC. The activated carbon was used to adsorb Tetracycline (TC). Different parameters were studied at room temperature to show their effects on the adsorption efficiency of TC. These parameters are the initial concentration of adsorbate TC, solution acidity pH, time of adsorption, and adsorbent dosage. The prepared active carbon was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microsc
... Show More