Purpose: To identify the size of the food gap for the main agricultural products and crops in Iraq, which reflects to us the extent to which agricultural production in particular and the agricultural sector in general have declined.Theoretical framework: The theoretical side of the research dealt with the definition of self-sufficiency and the food gap, as well as identifying the reality of agricultural production in Iraq during the study period, as well as the reality of the food gap for the most important agricultural, plant and animal products.Design/methodology/approach: In reviewing the research problem, the researcher adopted the method of deductive and descriptive analysis based on the presentation and detail of official data on agricultural production and import in Iraq for the period (2003-2020).Findings: The study showed that the size of the food gap for the most important agricultural products in Iraq for the period from 2003 to 2020 amounted to a minimum (48%) and a maximum (100%), as a result of the weak economic policy in general and agricultural policy in particular, as well as, the Deterioration of the security situation and the scarcity of water resources.Research, Practical & Social implications: The results of the research showed the Magnitude of the food gap, which reflects the decline and deterioration in the volume of agricultural production in Iraq during the study period, and the dangerous of this situation on food security and self-sufficiency for members of the Iraqi society.Originality/value: This study is unique in analyzing the food gap of the main food products in Iraq during the period (2003-2020) in a specific and focused manner, given that the size of the food gap is a mirror that reflects the reality of the agricultural sector of any country.
This paper deals with numerical approximations of a one-dimensional semilinear parabolic equation with a gradient term. Firstly, we derive the semidiscrete problem of the considered problem and discuss its convergence and blow-up properties. Secondly, we propose both Euler explicit and implicit finite differences methods with a non-fixed time-stepping procedure to estimate the numerical blow-up time of the considered problem. Finally, two numerical experiments are given to illustrate the efficiency, accuracy, and numerical order of convergence of the proposed schemes.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder of the joints that is characterized by extra-articular involvement in addition to inflammatory arthritis. Joint and periarticular tissue loss brought on by inflammation results in functional impairment. To lessen the significant daily challenges that patients confront and to ensure better outcomes, early detection and treatment are essential. The study's objective was to establish the use of human β-defensin-2 (HBD-2) as a RA diagnostic marker. A total of 60 RA patients and 30 healthy controls participated in the research. The ELISA technique was used to measure serum HBD-2. The following tests were performed: complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), renal func
... Show MoreThe creation and characterization of laser-generated plasma are affected by laser irradiance, representing significant phenomena in many applications. The present work studied the spectroscopy diagnostic of laser irradiance effect on Zn plasma features created in the air by a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser at the fundamental wavelength (1064nm). The major plasma parameters (electron temperature and electron density) have been measured using the Boltzmann plot and the Stark broadening methods. The value of electrons temperature ranged from 6138–6067 K, and the electron density in the range of 1.4×1018 to 2×1018 cm-3, for laser irradiance range from 2.1 to 4.8×108 (W/cm2
... Show MoreA comparative study was done on the adsorption of methyl orange dye (MO) using non-activated and activated corn leaves with hydrochloric acid as an adsorbent material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized to specify the properties of adsorbent material. The effect of several variables (pH, initial dye concentration, temperature, amount of adsorbent and contact time) on the removal efficiency was studied and the results indicated that the adsorption efficiency increases with the increase in the concentration of dye, adsorbent dosage and contact time, while inversely proportional to the increase in pH and temperature for both the treated and untreated corn leav
... Show MoreThis article presents the results of an experimental investigation of using carbon fiber–reinforced polymer sheets to enhance the behavior of reinforced concrete deep beams with large web openings in shear spans. A set of 18 specimens were fabricated and tested up to a failure to evaluate the structural performance in terms of cracking, deformation, and load-carrying capacity. All tested specimens were with 1500-mm length, 500-mm cross-sectional deep, and 150-mm wide. Parameters that studied were opening size, opening location, and the strengthening factor. Two deep beams were implemented as control specimens without opening and without strengthening. Eight deep beams were fabricated with openings but without strengthening, while
... Show MoreWater pollution as a result of contamination with dye-contaminating effluents is a severe issue for water reservoirs, which instigated the study of biodegradation of Reactive Red 195 and Reactive Blue dyes by E. coli and Bacillus sp. The effects of occupation time, solution pH, initial dyes concentrations, biomass loading, and temperature were investigated via batch-system experiments by using the Design of Experiment (DOE) for 2 levels and 5 factors response surface methodology (RSM). The operational conditions used for these factors were optimized using quadratic techniques by reducing the number of experiments. The results revealed that the two types of bacteria had a powerful effect on biodegradable dyes. The regression analysis reveale
... Show MoreSalt stress negatively affects germination and seedling growth. Sorghum cultivars (Bohuth70, Inqath and Rabeh), seed soaking in dry yeast extract (3, 6 and 9 g l-1) in addition to dry seeds and electrical conductivity (4, 10 and 16 dS m-1) were studied. Traits of germination ratio at first and final counts, lengths of radicle and plumule, seedling dry weight and seedling vigour index were studied. The cultivar of Bohuth70 and concentration of yeast extract (9 g l-1) were superior at all studied traits, while all traits values were reduced with increased saline stress. The combination (Bohuth70×9×4) was superior to most other treatments at first and final counts, radicle length and seedling dry weight, while superiority of plumule length a
... Show MoreThere is an interesting potential for the use of GFRP-pultruded profiles in hybrid GFRP-concrete structural elements, either for new constructions or for the rehabilitation of existing structures. This paper provides experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) specimens composite with encased pultruded GFRP I-sections. Five simply supported composite beams were tested in this experimental program to investigate the static flexural behavior of encased GFRP beams with high-strength concrete. Besides, the effect of using shear studs to improve the composite interaction between the GFRP beam and concrete as well as the effect of web stiffeners of GFRP were explored. Encasing the GFRP
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