Drought is a complex phenomenon that has severe impacts on the environment. Vegetation and its conditions are very sensitive to drought effects. This study aimed to monitor and assess the drought severity and its relationships to some ecological variables in ten districts of Erbil Governorate (Kurdistan Region), Iraq, throughout 20 years (1998-2017). The results revealed that droughts frequently hit Erbil throughout the study period. The Landsat time-series- based on Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) significantly correlated with precipitation, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and latitude. Extreme VCI-based drought area percentages were recorded in 1999, 2000, 2008, and 2011 by 43.4%, 67.9%, 43.3%, and 40.0%, respectively. The highest crop yield reduction in the study area occurred mainly in 2000, 2008, and 2012 due to low precipitation rates. These results reveal the capability of the VCI for drought characteristics and highlighting relationships with some ecological variables, which provide vital information to the decision-makers, environmental, and economic sectors.
This effort is related to describe and assess the performance of the Iraqi cement sample planned for oil well-cementing jobs in Iraq. In this paper, major cementing properties which are thickening time, compressive strength, and free water in addition to the rheological properties and filtration of cement slurry underneath definite circumstances are experimentally tested. The consequences point to that the Iraqi cement after special additives encounter the requests of the API standards and can consequently is used in cementing jobs for oil wells. At this research, there is a comparative investigation established on experimental work on the effectiveness of some additives that considered as waste materials which are silica fume, bauxite,
... Show MoreRosemary is a well-known aromatic and medicinal plant used to treat various ailments. This study evaluated Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil for its phytochemical and antibacterial properties. The essential oil was analysed by using a gas chromatography-mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) that revealed the common chemicals containing verbenone 36.20% and 1,8-cineol (Eucalyptol) 12.14%. Extracted essential oils were tested for antibacterial activity against vancomycin intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA), a strain of bacteria obtained locally from bacteremia patients. Three isolates were found to be VISA positive using the E-test (strips) and the population analysis profile method (PAP). VISA showed lower resist
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. RESULTS:
... Show MoreIn this paper, The transfer function model in the time series was estimated using different methods, including parametric Represented by the method of the Conditional Likelihood Function, as well as the use of abilities nonparametric are in two methods local linear regression and cubic smoothing spline method, This research aims to compare those capabilities with the nonlinear transfer function model by using the style of simulation and the study of two models as output variable and one model as input variable in addition t
... Show MoreIt is noted in the title that the paper studies the viewpoint in the novel The Dog and the Long Night by the Iranian novelist Shahranoush Parsi Pour and in the novel Alibaba's Sad Night by the Iraqi novelist Abdulkhaliq Ar-Rikabi. Both are well known novelists, and about whose stories and novels many critical books, MA theses, and Ph.D. dissertations have been written. Also, some of their literary works have won prizes. Here, the researcher shed light on the concept of viewpoint, its types, and its importance in novels in general. This was done along with tackling the two viewpoints in both novels, where similarities and differences were identified. For this end, the researcher has adopted the analytic-descriptive appro
... Show MoreIt is very known how great is the role of the Jewish writers in the system of the Zionist movement. The movement relied on writers and writers to carry out their programs, especially those pertaining to the creation of a "national homeland" for Jews. Most Jewish writers sang of Palestine even though they were not born there.
On such a basis, we have followed closely the writings of writers, critics and others by the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. We found that these writings are based on one common question: What is the fate of the Jewish people?
Most of these writings were accompanied by Theodor Herzl's proj
... Show MoreThe use of a communication network in the closed loop control systems has many advantages such as remotely controlling equipment, low cost, easy to maintenance, efficient information transmission, etc. However, the Networked Control System (NCS) has many drawbacks, such as network-induce end-to-end time delay and packet loss, which lead to significant degradation in controller performance and may result in instability. Aiming at solving performance degradation in NCS, this paper propose to take the advantages and strength of the conventional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID), Fuzzy Logic (FL), and Gain Scheduling (GS) fundamentals to design a Fuzzy-PID like-Gain Scheduling (F-PID-GS) control technique, which has been proved to be ef
... Show MoreSulphated zirconia (SZ) is one of the most important solid acid catalysts was synthesize at different operating conditions, different calcination temperature and sulfonating time has been used. The prepared catalyst was distinguished by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), particle size and morphology of catalyst were checked by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively, in addition to analysis by (DTA) Differential thermally and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX). Finally, the N2 adsorption-desorption was used to measure the surface area (BET) and pore volume. High degree of tetragonal crystallinity was obtained 90 %, and surface area of 169 m2/g and pore volume of 0.39 cm3g-1 at 600°C calcination temperature for 3
... Show MoreBackground: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is gram-negative bacterium, which causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as Pontiac fever. Objective: To determine the frequency of Legionella pneumophila in pneumonic patients, to determine the clinical utility of diagnosing Legionella pneumonia by urinary antigen testing (LPUAT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity, to compares the results obtained from patients by urinary antigen test with q Real Time PCR (RT PCR) using serum samples and to determine the frequency of serogroup 1 and other serogroups of L. pneumophila. Methods: A total of 100 pneumonic patients (community acquired pneumonia) were enrolled in this study during a period between October 2016 to April 2017; 92 sam
... Show MoreThis study aimed to confirm the presence of RSV using real-time PCR in nasal
and throat swabs which had no visible cytopathic effect in tissue culture technique
from adults of moderate-to-severe pneumonia with influenza-like illness. Results of
real-time RT-PCR found that viral RNA in 11.63% (5/43) of adult with pneumonia
and flu-like illness symptoms. A significant incidence of RSV infection in Dec. and
Jan. 2014 was appeared among patients aged more than 45 years. The results
showed that viral load significantly associated with disease severity. In conclusion,
multiplex RT-PCR is recommended to diagnose RSV and influenza viruses in
winter season in older patients with pneumonia and can decrease sever illness in