The beet armyworm (BAW), Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a highly destructive pest of vegetables and field crops. Management of beet armyworm primarily relies on synthetic pesticides, which is threatening the beneficial community and environment. Most importantly, the BAW developed resistance to synthetic pesticides with making it difficult to manage. Therefore, alternative and environment-friendly pest management tactics are urgently required. The use of pesticidal plant extracts provides an effective way for a sustainable pest management program. To evaluate the use of pesticidal plant extracts against BAW, we selected six plant species (Lantana camara, Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Cymbopogon citratus, Nicotiana tabacum ,

The ring modulator described in part I of this paper is designed here for two operating wavelengths 1550nm and 1310nm. For each wavelength, three structures are designed corresponding to three values of polymer slot widths (40, 50 and 60nm). The performance of these modulators are simulated using COMSOL software (version 4.3b) and the results are discussed and compared with theoretical predictions. The performance of intensity modulation/direct detection short range and long rang optical communication systems incorporating the designed modulators is simulated for 40 and 100Gb/s data rates using Optisystem software (version 12). The results reveal that an average energy per bit as low as 0.05fJ can be obtained when the 1550nm modulator is d

This paper presents comprehensive analysis and investigation for 1550nm and 1310nm ring optical modulators employing an electro-optic polymer infiltrated silicon-plasmonic hybrid phase shifter. The paper falls into two parts which introduce a theoretical modeling framework and performance assessment of these advanced modulators, respectively. In this part, analytical expressions are derived to characterize the coupling effect in the hybrid phase shifter, transmission function of the modulator, and modulator performance parameters. The results can be used as a guideline to design compact and wideband optical modulators using plasmonic technology

Objectives: This study explored knowledge, attitude, and practice of infection control by dental students at College of Dentistry/ University of Baghdad, Iraq. Material and Methods: Three hundred dental students participated in this study. A self administrated questionnaire with 21 close ended questions related to use of personal protective equipments, infection control awareness, vaccination status, percutaneous exposures, and attitude towards treatment of patients with hepatitis B (HBV)/ or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was distributed to dental students. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Fisher exact and Chi-square test were used with significance level set to 0.05. Results: The

Increasing demands on producing environmentally friendly products are becoming a driving force for designing highly active catalysts. Thus, surfaces that efficiently catalyse the nitrogen reduction reactions are greatly sought in moderating air-pollutant emissions. This contribution aims to computationally investigate the hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) networks of pyridine over the γ-Mo₂N(111) surface using a density functional theory (DFT) approach. Various adsorption configurations have been considered for the molecularly adsorbed pyridine. Findings indicate that pyridine can be adsorbed via side-on and end-on modes in six geometries in which one adsorption site is revealed to have the lowest adsorption energy (

The aim of present study is to determine the optimum parameters of friction stir welding process and known the most important parameter along with percentage contribution of each parameter which effect on tensile strength and joint efficiency of FS welded joint of  dissimilar aluminum alloys AA2024-T3 and AA7075-T73 of 3 mm thick plates by applied specific number of experiments using Taguchi method .AA2024 was placed on the advancing side and AA7075 on the retreating side. FSW was achieved under three different rotation speeds (898, 1200 and 1710) rpm, three different welding speeds (20, 45 and 69) mm\min , three different pin profiles (cylindrical, threaded cylindrical and cone) and tool tilt angle 2^◦. Taguchi method w

The study was carried out to investigate MLS and vancomycin resistance phenotypes in S.aureus isolated from different clinical samples .A total of 40 of S.aureus isolated from Baghdad hospitals from different clinical samples such as blood , urin, sputum ,skin and ear swabs used to identified MLS and vancomycin resistance phenotypes.The susceptibility pattern showed that 3 islolates (7.5) % constitutive resistance to erythromycin ,clindamycin and streptogramins (cMLS) while 9 isolates (22.5)% gave inducible resistance to erythromycin ,clindamycin and streptogramins (iMLS) , 10 isolates (25)% showed resistance to erythromycin and sensitive to clindamycin (M phenotype) and 18 isolates (45)% of S.aureus isolates had resistance phenotype to

Denture cleansing is an essential step that can stop cross‑contamination and adds to the health of the patient, denture durability, and the general quality of life. A disinfection technique must be practical and devoid of damaging effects on the material's properties used to construct the denture base. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of three concentrations of electrolyzed water denture cleanser on heat cure acrylic and polyamide after immersion in electrolyzed water. The evaluation is based on their efficacy on surface hardness, wettability, and color stability compared with one submerged in distilled water as a control group. The method consists of eighty samples of heat-cured acrylic and polyamide material.