Detection of pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria  monocytogenes, in food is crucial for safeguarding public health in Iraq.  Forty five samples of frozen meat (15 samples of each of minced red meat, chicken, and fish) were collected from different markets in Baghdad city. Molecular (RT-PCR) and culturing (conventional microbiological examination) methods were used to determine the level of contamination of L. monocytogenes in these types of meat.

For the culturing method, TSYEB broth was used as an enrichment medium, whereas BALCAM medium (HiMedia) with the listeria selective supplement FD061 was used as a selective medium, for the isolation and identification of this bacterium. The isolates were con

Modern civilization increasingly relies on sustainable and eco-friendly data centers as the core hubs of intelligent computing. However, these data centers, while vital, also face heightened vulnerability to hacking due to their role as the convergence points of numerous network connection nodes. Recognizing and addressing this vulnerability, particularly within the confines of green data centers, is a pressing concern. This paper proposes a novel approach to mitigate this threat by leveraging swarm intelligence techniques to detect prospective and hidden compromised devices within the data center environment. The core objective is to ensure sustainable intelligent computing through a colony strategy. The research primarily focusses on the

    This study aims to detect cadmium accumulation in the soil of Baghdad. Twenty soil samples were collected randomly during November 2020 to cover the study area, emphasizing the nature of each area (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, roadside, and waste dumping sites). All soil samples were subjected to geochemical analysis using atomic absorption spectrometry (ASS) to determine the concentration of cadmium in Baghdad soil. The laboratory data was utilized to design the spatial analysis map using Arc GIS 10.4.1 to investigate the spatial distribution of cadmium. The results demonstrated that the total content of cadmium in the study area ranged from 0.121to 1.78 mg/kg. All results of cadmium concentrations are withi

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an innovative network paradigm, offering substantial control of network operation through a network’s architecture. SDN is an ideal platform for implementing projects involving distributed applications, security solutions, and decentralized network administration in a multitenant data center environment due to its programmability. As its usage rapidly expands, network security threats are becoming more frequent, leading SDN security to be of significant concern. Machine-learning (ML) techniques for intrusion detection of DDoS attacks in SDN networks utilize standard datasets and fail to cover all classification aspects, resulting in under-coverage of attack diversity. This paper proposes a hybr

According to the prevalence of multidrug resistance bacteria, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in which the essential mechanism of drug resistance is the ability to possess an efflux pump by which extrusion of antimicrobial agents usually occurs, this study aims to detect the presence of mexB multidrug efflux gene in some local isolates of this bacteria that show resistance towards three antibiotics, out of five. Sensitivity test to antibiotics was performed on all isolates by using meropenem (10μg/disc), imipenem (10μg/disc), amikacin (30 μg/disc), ciprofloxacin (5μg/disc) and ceftazidime (30 μg/disc). Conventional PCR results showed the presence of mexB gene (244bp) in four isolates out of ten (40%). In addition,25, 50μg/ml of cur

Wastewater recycling for non-potable uses has gained significant attention to mitigate the high pressure on freshwater resources. This requires using a sustainable technique to treat natural municipal wastewater as an alternative to conventional methods, especially in arid and semi-arid rural areas. One of the promising techniques applied to satisfy the objective of wastewater reuse is the constructed wetlands (CWs) which have been used extensively in most countries worldwide through the last decades. The present study introduces a significant review of the definition, classification, and components of CWs, identifying the mechanisms controlling the removal process within such units. Vertical, horizontal, and hybrid CWs

Nearly a century and a half has passed since Sarah Orne Jewett published her much anthologized short story “A White Heron” (1886), but commentators on the tale missed one of the most important points in the text. It is the story’s similarity to the traditional Euro-centric fairy tale of “Little Red Riding Hood”. As an author, writing at the end of the ninetieth century, a time that witnessed the demise of the Romantic movement in America and the beginning of the age of Realism, Jewett did not romanticize her characters, despite the idyllic landscape in which “A White Heron” is set. Her story can be analyzed as a text that aims at disseminating ecological awareness among her young readers. This study focuses on Jewett