Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometers (PCFIs) are widely used for sensing applications. This work presents the fabrication and the characterization of a relative humidity sensor based on a polymer-coated photonic crystal fiber that operates in a Mach- Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) transmission mode. The fabrication of the sensor involved splicing a short (1 cm) length of Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) between two single-mode fibers (SMF). It was then coated with a layer of agarose solution. Experimental results showed that a high humidity sensitivity of 29.37 pm/%RH was achieved within a measurement range of 27–95%RH. The sensor also showed good repeatability, small size, measurement accuracy and wide humidity range. The RH sensitivity of the sensor has a significant dependence on the thickness of the coating and the sensor with the highest sensitivity showed a linear response for RH change in the range of 27-95% RH and a fast response time of 0.8 sec for an RH change from 50% to 90%.
Shallow foundations are usually used for structures with light to moderate loads where the soil underneath can carry them. In some cases, soil strength and/or other properties are not adequate and require improvement using one of the ground improvement techniques. Stone column is one of the common improvement techniques in which a column of stone is installed vertically in clayey soils. Stone columns are usually used to increase soil strength and to accelerate soil consolidation by acting as vertical drains. Many researches have been done to estimate the behavior of the improved soil. However, none of them considered the effect of stone column geometry on the behavior of the circular footing. In this research, finite ele
... Show MoreBackground: The skull base and the hard palate contain many anatomical features that make them rich in information which are useful in sex differentiation; in addition to that they have the ability to resist the hardest environmental conditions that support them in making sex differentiation. Three dimensional computed tomographic techniques has important role in differentiation between sex since it offers images with very accurate data and details of all anatomical structures with high resolution. This study was made to study sex variations among Iraqi sample by craniometric linear measurements of the hard palate and the skull base using 3D reconstructed Computed Tomographic scan. Materials and methods: This study composed of 100 Iraqi su
... Show MoreThe current study used extracts from the aloe vera (AV) plant and the hibiscus sabdariffa flower to make Ag-ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and Ag-ZnO nanocomposites (NCs). Ag/ZnO NCs were compared to Ag NPs and ZnO NPs. They exhibited unique properties against bacteria and fungi that aren't present in either of the individual parts. The Ag-ZnO NCs from AV showed the best performance against E. coli, with an inhibition zone of up to 27 mm, compared to the other samples. The maximum absorbance peaks were observed at 431 nm and 410 nm for Ag NPs, at 374 nm and 377 nm for ZnO NPs and at 384 nm and 391 nm for Ag-ZnO NCs using AV leaf extract and hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, respectively. Using field emission-scanning electron microscopes (FE-
... Show MoreWater has a great self-generating capacity that can neutralize the polluting interventions carried out by humans. However, if human activities continue this uncontrolled and unsustainable exploitation of this resource, this regenerating capacity shall fail and it will be jeopardized definitively. Shatt Al-Arab River in South of Iraq. It has an active role in providing water for irrigation, industry, domestic use and a commercial gateway to Iraq. in the last five years Shatt Al-Arab suffered from a rise in pollutants due to the severe decline in sewage networks, irregular networks and pesticide products, as well as the outputs of factories and companies that find their way to water sources and lead to a widespread collapse of water quality.
... Show MoreRadon is the most dangerous natural radioactive component affecting the human population, since it is a radioactive gas that results from the decomposition process of uranium deposits in soil, rocks, and water, and it is damaging both humans and the ecosystem. The radon concentrations and exhalation rate in soil samples from various locations were determined using a passive approach with a CR-39 (CR-39 is Columbia Resin #39; it is allyl diglycol carbonate C12H18O7) detector in Amiriya region in Baghdad Governorate. The average values of radon concentrations are ranged from 47.3 to 54.2 Bq·m−3. From the obtained results, we can conclude that the values of all studied locations are
RESRAD is a computer model designed to estimate risks and radiation doses from residual radioactive materials in soil. Thirty seven soil samples were collected from the area around the berms of Al-Tuwaitha site and two samples as background taken from an area about 3 km north of the site. The samples were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry system using high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The results of samples measurements showed that three contaminated area with 238U and 235U found in the study area. Two scenarios were applied for each contaminated area to estimate the dose using RESRAD (onsite) version 7.0 code. The total dose of resident farmer scenario for area A, B and C are 0.854, 0.033 and 2.15×10-3 mSv.yr-1, respectively. Whi
... Show MoreThe present work reports the performance of three types of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane in the removal of highly polluting and toxic lead Pb2+ and cadmium Cd2+ ions from a single salt. This study investigated the effect of operating variables, including pH, types of PES membrane, and feed concentration, on the separation process. The transport parameters and mass transfer coefficient (k) of the membranes were estimated using the combined film theory-solution-diffusion (CFSD), combined film theory-Spiegler-Kedem (CFSK), and combined film theory-finely-porous (CFFP) membrane transport models. Various parameters were used to estimate the enrichment factors, concentration polarization modulus, and Péclet number. The pH values signif
... Show MoreThis study involved the treatment of textile wastewater contaminated with direct blue 15 dye (DB15) using a heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like process. Bimetallic iron/copper nanoparticles loaded on bentonite clay were used as heterogeneous catalysts and prepared via liquid-phase reduction method using eucalyptus leaves extract (E-Fe/Cu@BNPs). Characterization methods were applied to resultant particles (NPs), including SEM, BET, and FTIR techniques. The prepared NPs were found with porous and spherical shapes with a specific surface area of particles was 28.589 m2/g. The effect of main parameters on the photo-Fenton-like degradation of DB15 was investigated through batch and continuous fixed-bed systems. In batch mode, pH, H2O2 dosage, DB15 c
... Show MoreA spectrophotometric- reverse flow injection analysis (rFIA) method has been proposed for the determination of Nitrazepam (NIT) in pure and pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based upon the coupling reaction of NIT with a new reagent O-Coumaric acid (OCA) in the presence of sodium periodate in an aqueous solution. The blue color product was measured at 632 nm. The variation (chemical and physical parameters) related with reverse flow system were estimated. The linearity was over the range 15 - 450 µg/mL of NIT with detection limits and limit of quantification of 3.425 and 11.417 µg mL-1 NIT,respectively. The sample throughput of 28 samples
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