Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mycotoxin produced mainly by fungi Aspergillus flavus in food and animals feed. It is considered as a carcinogenic toxin for human and animals. The current study is designed to investigate the incidence of mycoflora in twenty four samples of local stored maize collected from Iraqi governorates; investigate the presence of aflatoxin B1 on these samples using TLC and ELISA techniques. The fungi recovered from maize samples were Aspergillus flavus (18.57 % ), Fusarium spp. (12.8 % ), A. ocraceus (9.96 % ) , A. terrus (9.07 % ), A. fumigatus (8.46 % ) , Alternaria spp. (6.40 % ) Rhizopus spp. (4.98 % ), A. niger spp., A. oryzae spp. (4.80 % ), Penicillium spp. (4.53 %) A. versicolor spp., Rhizoctonia spp. (4.27 %), A. tamari and Mucor spp. (3.20 %). Aflatoxin B1 was present in twelve samples of stored maize collected from Iraqi governorate and the concentration of toxin ranged between 2.30 to 30 ppb using TLC technique and 270 to 500 ppb using ELISA technique.
The removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater by ion exchange resins ( zeolite and purolite C105), was investigated. The adsorption process, which is pH dependent, shows maximum removal of metal ions at pH 6 and 7 for zeolite and purolite C105 for initial metal ion
concentrations of 50-250 mg/l, with resin dose of 0.25-3 g. The maximum ion exchange capacity was found to be 9.74, 9.23 and 9.71 mg/g for Cu2+, Pb2+, and Ni2+ on zeolite respectively, while on purolite C105 the maximum ion exchange capacity was found to be 9.64 ,8.73 and 9.39 for Cu2+, Pb2+, and Ni2+ respectively. The maximum removal was 97-98% for Cu2+ and Ni2+ and 92- 93% for Pb2+ on zeolite, while it was 93-94% for Cu2+, 96-97% for Ni2+, and 87-88% for Pb2+ on puroli
The preparation and characterization of innovative nanocomposites based on zinc oxide nanorods (ZNR) encapsulated by graphene (Gr) nanosheets and decorated with silver (Ag), and cupper (Cu) nanoparticles (NP) were studied. The prepared nanocomposites (ZNR@Gr/Cu-Ag) were examined by different techniques including Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Vis spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the ZNR has been good cover by five layers of graphene and decorated with Ag and Cu NPs with particles size of about 10-15 nm. The ZNR@Gr/Cu-Ag nanocomposites exhibit high absorption behavior in ultraviolet (UV) region of sp
... Show MoreBiodiesel can be prepared from various types of vegetable oils or animal fats with the aid of a catalyst.
Calcium oxide (CaO) is one of the prospective heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis. Modification
of CaO by impregnation on silica (SiO2) can improve the performance of CaO as catalyst. Egg shells and rice
husks as biomass waste can be used as raw materials for the preparation of the silica modified CaO catalyst.
The present study was directed to synthesize and characterize CaO impregnated SiO2 catalyst from biomass
waste and apply it as catalyst in biodiesel synthesis. The catalyst was synthesized by wet impregnation
method and characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, nitr
Background: Severe forms of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) were found among 6 - 10% of all COVID-19 patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS is non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema manifested by the rapid development of shortness of breath, tachypnea, and hypoxemia. Patients’ outcomes after critical care for COVID-19 have not been adequately documented in this low-resource environment, despite advocacy for prevention and response measures in low- and middle-income countries.
Objectives: To highlight the rate of severe illness among COVID-19 patients and its associated factors in Al-Imam Ali Hospital, Baghdad-Iraq 2021.
Patients and Methods: A descriptive cross
... Show MoreMeasurements of excess molar volumes VE , viscosities η , excess viscosities Δ ln η and excess molar activation energies of viscous flow ΔGE , are reported for binary mixtures of dimethylformamide (DMF) with , benzene , o-xylene , 1,4- dioxane and tetrahydrofuran are reported from density and viscosity measurements at 298.15 k and at atmospheric pressure over the entire composition range . The excess values are positive for the mixture (DMF+ polar solvent) and negative deviation from ideality for the mixture (DMF + non-polar solvent) over the whole composition range and discussed in the light of molecular interaction in the mixture.
Due to its various resistance mechanisms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most prevalent opportunistic infection that kills hospitalized patients. Thus, therapeutic options become limited. Objective: The study aimed to estimate the antibiofilm effectiveness of Conocarpus erectus leaf extracts against MDR P. aeruginosa isolates and examines pelA and algD gene expression. Subjects and Methods: One hundred-fifty clinical samples were collected from five Baghdad hospitals between September 2021 and January 2022. Samples were grown on different mediums. Despite cetrimide agar's ability to detect P. aeruginosa, only 83 isolates developed at 42°C. VITEK 2 compact system identification followed. This study examined 83 of P. aeruginosa isolates for r
... Show MoreDensity Functional Theory (DFT) method of the type (B3LYP) and a Gaussian basis set (6-311G) were applied for calculating the vibration frequencies and absorption intensities for normal coordinates (3N-6) at the equilibrium geometry of the Di and Tetra-rings layer (6, 0) zigzag single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by using Gaussian-09 program. Both were found to have the same symmetry of D6d point group with C--C bond alternation in all tube rings (for axial bonds, which are the vertical C--Ca bonds in rings layer and for circumferential bonds C—Cc in the outer and mid rings bonds). Assignments of the modes of vibration IR active and inactive vibration frequ
... Show More