Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have gained much attention as biodegradable polymers, many efforts are being made to minimize the cost of PHAs by finding cheap carbon source depending on the type of microorganism and fermentation conditions. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of different glucose concentrations and other important conditions on the PHA production by Bacillus cereus isolated from soil. Polyhydroxyalkanoates PHAs accumulated by soil microorganisms were examined by screening the isolated bacteria using Sudan B Black and Nile Blue staining process. A Gram positive strain was identified using the 16s rRNA gene, deposited in the NCBI GenBank sequence database. Different growth conditions (favorite glucose concentrations 1-8 % (w/v), temperatures and pH) were tested and the growth parameters (sugar consumption, cell counting and Cell Dry Weight CDW) were studied. The extracted polymers were analyzed and characterized using an FTIR spectrophotometer followed by a GC-MS analysis. The pure bacterial strain isolated from soil was deposited in the NCBI GenBank database B. cereus strain ARY73, which showed significant black colored granules (or dark blue) using Sudan B Black stain, it also showed positive to Nile blue A as a high indicator stain for PHA accumulation. B. cereus ARY73 showed high production of PHA using (w/v): 2% glucose and 1% nitrogen source at 35 °C and pH7 yields 79% per Cell Dry Weight and 96 h of incubation. The extracted polymers were analyzed and characterized using an FTIR spectrophotometer confirming the PHA structure. The FTIR spectrophotometer, followed by a GC-MS analysis indicated the Scl-co-mcl PHA structure. This research demonstrates that the isolated strain B. cereus ARY73 was a good candidate for PHA production with a better quality for use in biomedical and other applications. The use of biopolymer in soil, enhanced the accumulation of the microorganisms (such as bacteria) capable of degrading biopolymer or biodegradation by-products yields by other species which were isolated in this
A vital instrument to foster the long-term goal of high-quality education has developed in the form of digital technologies. The educational system has been found to be significantly impacted by these technologies. The recent COVID- Pandemic has strengthened the legitimacy of using digital tools in education. The entire educational system has undergone a paradigm shift as a result of these digital technologies. Along with sharing knowledge, it also serves as a mentor, an assessor, and a co-creator of information. Students' lives have been simpler as a result of educational technology advancements. Nowadays, students prepare presentations and projects utilizing a variety of software and tools rather than pen and paper. The weig
... Show MoreThe present research aims at identifying the educational problems and psychological problems of distinguished students at the intermediate level. The research sample consists of (246) students who are randomly selected from four distinguished schools (2) in the Karkh\1 and (2) in the Rusafa\2.
The researcher has constructed two scales for measuring the educational and psychological problems. She ensures the psychometric characteristics of the two scales. Alph-Cronbach and test-retest methodsare used to ensure reliability. Some statistical treatments are used to find out the aims of research. These treatments include the one-sample T-test, two independent samples T-test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results show th
... Show MoreA piezoelectric cantilever beam with a tip mass at its free end is a common energy harvester configuration. This article introduces a new principle of designing such a harvester that increases the generated power without changing the resonance frequency of the harvester: the attraction force between two permanent magnets is used to add stiffness to the system. This magnetic stiffening counters the effect of the tip mass on the efficient operation frequency. Five set-ups incorporating piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers of the same type in different mechanical configurations are compared theoretically and experimentally to investigate the feasibility of this principle: theoretical and experimental results show that magnetically stiffened harve
... Show MoreEpoxy resin has many chemical features and mechanical properties, but it has a small elongation at break, low impact strength and crack propagation resistance, i.e. it exhibits a brittle behavior. In the current study, the influence of adding kaolin with variable particle size on the mechanical properties (flexural modulus E, toughness Gc, fracture toughness Kc, hardness HB, and Wear rate WR) of epoxy resin was evaluated. Composites of epoxy with varying concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 weights %) of kaolin were prepared by hand-out method. The composites showed improved (E, Gc, Kc, HB, and WR) properties with the addition of filler. Also, similar results were observed with the decrease in particle size. In addition, in this study, mult
... Show MoreAdaptive responses in larval behavior may be of two kinds: Taxis: This involves a change in direction relative to source of a stimulus. Kinesis: Kinesis has no directional component, but involves change in the rate of performance in response to a stimulus. Drosophila larvae exhibited flexible behavioral responses associated with food acquisition and selection for different environmental conditions. In this investigation, we are concerned explosively with kinetic responses to food viability. Third instar larvae were subjected to test for thirty minutes in each of the following conditions i) in distilled water, ii) in Ringer's solution, iii) in glucose solution and on live yeast suspension. In each case the larva was in a thin layer of solu
... Show MoreBackground: Cancer is a lethal disease that results from a multifactorial process. Progression into carcinogenesis and an abnormal cell proliferation can occur due to the micro and macro environment as well as genetic mutations and modifications. In this review, cancer and the microbiota – mainly bacteria that inhabit the tumour tissue – have been discussed. The positive and negative impacts of the commensal bacteria on tumours being protective or carcinogenic agents, respectively, and their strategies have also been described. Methods: Related published articles written in English language were searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Mendeley suggestions, as well as Google search using a combination of the keywords ‘Microbiota, commens
... Show MoreAbstract Background Infections with helminths are associated with deficient sanitary facilities, unsafe human waste disposal, inadequate and lack of safe drinking water, and low socioeconomic status. Objective To determine the prevalence of some gastrointestinal helminths among Iraqi people, and association of infections with age, sex, and region in Iraq. Method This study is retrospective, including reported cases of infections using an available surveillance database from January 2013 to December 2013 of all provinces of Iraq by the Ministry of Health. Result The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthiasis was 1.39%. Enterobius vermicularis found to be the predominant helminth parasite. No significant (P < 0.05) rel
... Show MoreBackground: The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world; its most important achievement for education was changing the approach from traditional to virtual education. The present study aimed to investigate the role of virtual education networks on mental health of students including personality, beliefs, scientific, and cultural dimensions, in selected countries.Methods: This was an exploratory and applied study. According to the phenomenology strategy, theoretical saturation occurred after 24 semi-structured and targeted qualitative interviews with teachers from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, in 2023. Quantitative data was collected through a researcher-made online questionnaire with 423 participants. Teachers with at least a Bachelor’s degr
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