The seismic reflection and gravity data were used to detect the tectonic boundaries in Kut-Hai-Fajir and surrounding areas, central Iraq. The depth maps of Dammam, Nhr Umr, and Sulaiy, formations were constructed and used to detect some boundareis in the study area. The residual gravity map and Total Horizantal derivative (THDR) also used to detected the tectonic boundaries. It is obtained that most boundaries or faults found in the deep formations; while some of them showen in the shallow fomations. The faults or boundaries obtained from gravity intrpretation mostly coincied with the deepest formation boundaries. Generally, the grvity anomalies conform the morphological feature locations within the depth maps of the formations. Many lon

This study aims to analyze the spectral properties of plasma produced from rice husk(Rh) using the laser breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) method. The plasma generation process used the fundamental harmonic (1064 nm) of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) is a man-made crystalline material. The laser fired pulses with a duration of 10 ns and a repetition rate of 6 Hz. Thus, the energy outputs achieved were 50–200 mJ at the wavelength of 1064 (nm). The silica content in the rice hulls was verified using an XRF measurement, which revealed the presence of silica in the rice hulls in a high percentage. Precise beam focusing was achieved by focusing the laser on the target material. This target material is placed with

The sequence in the upper part of the Balambo Formation is composed mainly of limestone alternating with marly limestones and dark grey shale in the Bosheen section (eastern Sulaymaniyah, northeastern Iraq) and has been studied in terms of its rare earth element (REE) content. The REEs are very low compared to modern marine sediments. They are depletion in LREEs, and enrichment in HREEs and (La/Yb)_N in the studied rocks, indicating that these sediments retained the REEs pattern of marine waters. The negative Ce anomaly reflects direct sedimentation from marine waters under anoxic conditions with the contribution of terrigenous clays. The positive correlation of ∑REEs with Al, Ti, and Y, and the negative correlation of ∑REE

Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the major globally distributed pathogens, which causes chronic and recalcitrant infections due to their capacity to produce biofilms in large part. Biofilm production represents a survival strategy in these species, allowing them to endure environmental stress by altering their gene expression to match their own survival needs. In this study, we co-cultured different clinical isolates of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa as mono- and mixed-species biofilms in a full-strength Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI) and in a 1000-fold diluted Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI/1000) using Microtiter plate assay and determination of colony-forming units. Furthermore, the effect of starvation stress on the e

The propaganda war is one of the most dangerous weapons used in various conditions of war and peace within any intellectual, political or military conflict to be targeted by multiple social groups and their effects on the intellectuals to change the viewpoints at the local and global level, including the use of technical treatment of the audio and visual medium, The impact of the psychological dimensions of the arms in the confrontation and spread terror in the ranks of the enemies and in the forefront of what Iraq faces in its battle against the And the use of it as a propaganda content contributes to the development of the spirit of tranquility and tranquility in the hearts of Iraqis and the return of the right to the owners “th

      Water harvesting techniques developed globally during the last decades with highly increasing water crisis and climate changes. The Yeoman keyline method was spread widely with increased use for sustainable permaculture development. The main aim of the current study is to analyze and solve the siltation problem in Dwerige weir and to develop water resources in the basin area.  The remote sensing data, field surveying, and hydrology are used together to build a new geotechnical approach. The results show that a huge siltation quantity was not considered in the weir design studies, which were represented by sand sheet materials and eroded soils washed by flooding and entering the weir reservoir through four main channels. The t

In this study, stabilization of expansive soils using waste materials namely; Cement Kiln Dust (CKD), and waste plastic bottles (WPB) was experimentally investigated. Using CKD and WPB are exponentially increasing day by day, due to their capability to solve both environmental and geotechnical problems successfully. Expansive soils were collected from locations with a wide range of plasticity index (PI) (15 - 27) and liquid limit (LL) (35% - 64%). Stabilizer percentages were varied from 0% to 20%, and curing durations for CKD cases were 7 and 28 days. Results showed the best percentages of CKD and WPB are 12% of each one respectively. LL, plastic limit (PL), and swelling percent (SP) loss were observed, which are 46%, 55%, and 96% respec

The levels of circulating angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors, namely vascular endothelial growth factor–A (VEGF-A) and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1), have been linked to the development of renal dysfunction due to the proliferation of microvasculature within the kidneys of type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients. The study aims to scrutinize serum levels of VEGF and sVEGFR-1 in a sample of Iraqi diabetic nephropathy patients to support their reliability as markers for the prediction of nephropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients as well as to assess the ACE inhibitor’s effect on the levels of these two markers. Method: The ninety participants of this case-control study were split into three gr

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease that ranges from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). So far, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that hepatic carboxylesterase 2 (CES2) is markedly reduced in NASH patients, diabetic db/db mice, and high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice. Restoration of hepatic CES2 expression in db/db or HFD‐fed mice markedly ameliorates liver steatosis and insulin resistance. In contrast, knockdown of hepatic CES2 causes liver steatosis and damage in chow‐ or Western diet‐fe