Microfibers released by synthetic clothes have a significant negative effect on the environment. Several solutions have been proposed and evaluated for their effectiveness, but studies have failed to address the human-centered aspects of these products. In this research, the possibilities and needs from a consumer perspective for a new filtering system for domestic washing machines were examined. First, a quantitative (questionnaire) and a qualitative (interviews and observations) exploration were done to understand the desired requirements from a user perspective. Next, the acceptance of various existing solutions for microfiber catching was investigated. To verify these requirements, a new concept was designed and evaluated with a questionnaire. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. It can be concluded that the problem of microfibers is not well known, and the impact of people’s washing behavior is underestimated. Since microfibers are almost invisible, the effectiveness needed to be proven. Effectiveness is seen as the most important characteristic of a product that captures microfibers, followed by durability. Both factors ensure long-term usage. However, changing washing habits is not evident, and usage should be straightforward and user-friendly to save time, especially considering the new cleaning actions, which should be clear and unambiguous.
Two quantitative, environment-friendly and easily monitored assays for Ni (II) and Co (III) ions analysis in different lipstick samples collected from 500-Iraqi dinars stores located in Baghdad were introduced. The study was based on the reaction of nickel (II) ions with dimethylglyoxime (DMG) reagent and the reaction of cobalt (III) ions with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (NN) reagent to produce colored products. The color change was measured by spectrophotometric method at 565 nm and 430 nm for Ni and Co, respectively, with linear calibration graphs in the concentration range 0.25-100 mg L-1 (Ni) and 0.5-100 mg L-1 (Co) and LOD and LOQ of 0.11 mg L-1 and 0.36 mg L-1 (Ni), and 0.15 mg L-1 an
... Show MoreTwo simple methods for the determination of eugenol were developed. The first depends on the oxidative coupling of eugenol with p-amino-N,N-dimethylaniline (PADA) in the presence of K3[Fe(CN)6]. A linear regression calibration plot for eugenol was constructed at 600 nm, within a concentration range of 0.25-2.50 μg.mL–1 and a correlation coefficient (r) value of 0.9988. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 0.086 and 0.284 μg.mL–1, respectively. The second method is based on the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of the derivatized oxidative coupling product of eugenol with PADA. Under the optimized extraction procedure, the extracted colored product was determined spectrophotometrically at 618 nm. A l
... Show MoreDeception is an inseparable facet of political discourse in attaining strategic political gains though compromising public opinion. However, the employment of discursive deception strategies by the policy-making institutions of think tanks has not received due attention in the literature. The current study aims at exploring how the ideologizing deception strategies are utilized by the conservative American think tank of the Washington Institute to reproduce socio-political realities and re-shape public opinion. To fulfill this task, van Dijk’s (2000) notion of ideological polarization which shows positive self-representation and negative other representation is adopted to conduct a critical discourse analysis of four Arabic texts relea
... Show MoreSince cancer is becoming a leading cause of death worldwide, efforts should be concentrated on understanding its underlying biological alterations that would be utilized in disease management, especially prevention strategies. Within this context, multiple bodies of evidence have highlighted leptin’s practical and promising role, a peptide hormone extracted from adipose and fatty tissues with other adipokines, in promoting the proliferation, migration, and metastatic invasion of breast carcinoma cells. Excessive blood leptin levels and hyperleptinemia increase body fat content and stimulate appetite. Also, high leptin level is believed to be associated with several conditions, including overeating, emotional stress, inflammation, obesity,
... Show MoreKnowledge of the distribution of the rock mechanical properties along the depth of the wells is an important task for many applications related to reservoir geomechanics. Such these applications are wellbore stability analysis, hydraulic fracturing, reservoir compaction and subsidence, sand production, and fault reactivation. A major challenge with determining the rock mechanical properties is that they are not directly measured at the wellbore. They can be only sampled at well location using rock testing. Furthermore, the core analysis provides discrete data measurements for specific depth as well as it is often available only for a few wells in a field of interest. This study presents a methodology to generate synthetic-geomechani
... Show MoreThis study investigates the impacts of climate change (CC) on the emergence and proliferation of fungal pathogens, with a particular focus on global food security and the potential of medicinal plants and their by-products as sustainable mitigation strategies. Through a systematic literature review of articles published up to 2024, we analyze how CC exacerbates the spread and severity of fungal diseases in crops, leading to significant agricultural losses and threats to food availability. The findings highlight that, alongside conventional approaches such as genetic resistance and precision farming, bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants and their by-products offer promising, eco-friendly alternatives for the management of fungal
... Show MoreWheat straw was modified with malonic acid in order to get low cost adsorbent have a good ability to remove copper and ferric ions from aqueous solutions, chemical modification temperature was 120°C and the time was 12 h. Parameters that affect the adsorption experiments were studied and found the optimum pH were 6 and 5 for copper and iron respectively and the time interval was 120 min and the adsorbent mass was 0.1 g. The values for adsorption isotherms parameters were determined according to Langmuir [qmax were 54.64 and 61.7 mg/g while b values were 0.234 and 0.22 mg/l] , Freundlich [Kf were 16.07 and 18.89 mg/g and n were 2.77 and 3.16], Temkin [B were 0.063 and 0.074 j/mol and At were 0.143 and 1.658 l/g] and for Dubinin-Radushkev
... Show MoreThe paper studies the science of “Biomimicry” or imitation of nature, and how to utilize it to create contemporary designs. It starts by defining biomimicry and innovation. Then, the style of imitating nature is highlighted, which is considered one of the most important methods of innovation. It includes simulating animals and plants (in their environmental conditions) to use the natural and dynamic design solutions to produce innovative designs, that enhance the concept of sustainability. Various forms of natural species are presented, to show their benefit in contemporary metal product designs. Finally, a model of a metal lighting unit is developed, where innovative ideas inspired by silkworm cocoon are used in its design. The stud
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to measure the percentage of heavy metals pollution in the water of the Diyala river and to measure the percentage of contamination of these elements in the leafy vegetables grown on both sides of the Diyala river, which are irrigated by the contaminated river water (celery, radish, lepidium, green onions, beta vulgaris subsp, and malva). Laboratory analysis was achieved to measure the ratio of heavy element contamination (Pb, Fe, Ni, Cd, Zn and Cr) using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer during the summer months of July and August for the year 2017. The study showed that the elements of zinc, chromium, nickel and cadmium were high concentrations and exceeded. The maximum concentration of these
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