Dust storms are typical in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East; the frequency and severity of dust storms have grown dramatically in Iraq in recent years. This paper identifies the dust storm sources in Iraq using remotely sensed data from Meteosat-spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) bands. Extracted combined satellite images and simulated frontal dust storm trajectories, using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, are used to identify the most influential sources in the Middle East and Iraq. Out of 132 dust storms in Iraq during 2020–2023, the most frequent occurred in the spring and summer. A dust source frequency percentage map (DSFPM) is generated using ArcGIS software. The regions located in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan are the largest dust storm sources. New dust sources are identified in Iraq’s southwestern and western regions, such as Al-Nukhaib, Wadi Hauran, and Sinjar, along with new sources in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. The most common sources are concentrated in Iraq (55.31%), mainly in the Tigris and Euphrates basin, western desert, and Al-Jazeera region, followed by Syria (19.55%), Saudi Arabia (12.29%), and Jordan (11.73%). The highest dust storm source frequency in Iraq is found in the Al- Samawa desert’s southern region (27.37%). Also, the highest frequency of dust sources from each country is determined. Knowing the origins and trajectories of dust storms will enhance treatments of these causes and their consequences on the environment and socio-economics of the region. It contributes to the support of specialised regional agencies to mitigate this phenomenon.
Smear zone is usually formed around the prefabricated vertical drains (PVD’s) due to mandrel driving. The geotechnical properties of the soil in this zone exhibit significant changes that affect the performance of the PVD’s. The most relevant property in this respect is the coefficient of permeability. So far, no serious attention is paid to investigate the effects of shearing under large shear strains on the geotechnical properties of the soft soil in Fao region. In this study, an extensive laboratory testing program was conducted to assess the characteristics of the smear zone with an emphasis on the permeability coefficient of Fao soft soil. The results show that the permeability of the smear zone is about 70% of
... Show MoreRadiotherapy is medical use of ionizing radiation, and commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control cell growth. The amount of radiation used in photon radiation therapy called dose (measured in grey unit), which depend on the type and stage of cancer being treated. In our work, we studied the dose distribution given to the tumor at different depths (zero-20 cm) treated with different field size (4×4- 23×23 cm). Results show that the deeper treated area has less dose rate at the same beam quality and quantity. Also it has been noted increasing in the field increasing in the depth dose at the same depth even if the radiation energy is constant. Increasing in radiation dose attributed to the scattere
... Show MoreImage compression is a suitable technique to reduce the storage space of an image, increase the area of storage in the device, and speed up the transmission process. In this paper, a new idea for image compression is proposed to improve the performance of the Absolute Moment Block Truncation Coding (AMBTC) method depending on Weber's law condition to distinguish uniform blocks (i.e., low and constant details blocks) from non-uniform blocks in original images. Then, all elements in the bitmap of each uniform block are represented by zero. After that, the lossless method, which is Run Length method, is used for compressing the bits more, which represent the bitmap of these uniform blocks. Via this simple idea, the result is improving
... Show MoreThis paper describes a research effort that aims of developing solar models for housing suitable for the Arabian region since the Arabian Peninsula is excelled with very high levels of solar radiation.
The current paper is focused on achieving energy efficiency through utilizing solar energy and conserving energy. This task can be accomplished by implementation the major elements related to energy efficiency in housing design , such as embark on an optimum photovoltaic system orientation to maximize seize solar energy and produce solar electricity. All the precautions were taken to minimizing the consumption of solar energy for providing the suitable air-condition to the inhibitor of the solar house in addition to use of energy effici
In Iraq 1.4 million of people have diabetes, the prevalence of T2DM was ranged (8.5%—13.9%), and the cluster of metabolic abnormalities has long been identified as the risk factors for type 2 diabetes and is now commonly described as metabolic syndrome/MetS. Insulin resistance takes a key role in the process of the MetS and has even been hypothesized as its underlying cause. Clinical and epidemiologic studies also indicate that obesity and life style habit might be correlated with IR. This study examined the relationship between IR and MetS in a sample of young, healthy university students in Iraq. It discovered that the severity of IR is positively correlated with the clustering of MetS risk factors in Iraqi students, suggesting
... Show MoreThe present work aims to study the efficiency of using aluminum refuse, which is available locally (after dissolving it in sodium hydroxide), with different coagulants like alum [Al2 (SO4)3.18H2O], Ferric chloride FeCl3 and polyaluminum chloride (PACl) to improve the quality of water. The results showed that using this coagulant in the flocculation process gave high results in the removal of turbidity as well as improving the quality of water by precipitating a great deal of ions causing hardness. From the experimental results of the Jar test, the optimum alum dosages are (25, 50 and 70 ppm), ferric chloride dosages are (15, 40 and 60 ppm) and polyaluminum chloride dosages were (10, 35 and 55 ppm) for initial water turbidity (100, 500 an
... Show MoreAlthough the number of stomach tumor patients reduced obviously during last decades in western countries, but this illness is still one of the main causes of death in developing countries. The aim of this research is to detect the area of a tumor in a stomach images based on fuzzy clustering. The proposed methodology consists of three stages. The stomach images are divided into four quarters and then features elicited from each quarter in the first stage by utilizing seven moments invariant. Fuzzy C-Mean clustering (FCM) was employed in the second stage for each quarter to collect the features of each quarter into clusters. Manhattan distance was calculated in the third stage among all clusters' centers in all quarters to disclosure of t
... Show MoreObjectives: The research aims to highlight the semiotic approach and apply it to a photograph of the Pope's reception at Baghdad International Airport, published on the page of the Media Office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi in the Twitter application, in order to study its components, analyze its contents and clarify its implications, as well as approach the image as a political and media act. Methods: The stages of research were accomplished by "investigation, observation, and analysis", and the dismantling of the composition of the photograph, thus revealing the hidden and hidden aspects, relying on the semiotic approach to analysis. Results: The study showed that the ideas and meanings included in the image in form
... Show More