The current study looked into heavy metal poisoning of the Euphrates river which runs from Al-Kifl to Kufa in Iraq. One of the goals of this research was to determine the pollution levels and the contamination sources. We looked at six heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, Fe, and Mn) characteristics in sediment, taking samples from six sites along the Euphrates every season from March 2020 to January 2021. To assess pollution levels, three indices were chosen: enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (I-geo) and contamination factor (CF). According to EF, the Cd and Pb elements recorded considerable enrichment, very high enrichment and extremely high pollution at practically all sites in four seasons, while the remainder of the HMs recorde

            Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite in immune-compromised persons. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in psoriasis patients is investigated. In addition, the treatment effect on psoriasis patients infected with toxoplasmosis through evaluating Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) cytokine levels is studied. Blood samples were collected from 130 individuals who involved 60 control samples and 70 samples with psoriasis. They attended Medical City Hospital in Baghdad province from October 2017 - February 2018. Then, the anti- T. gondii antibodies (IgM and IgG) and TNF- α in the sera were determined via the enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay. The highe

Simple, precise and economic batch and flow injection analysis (FIA)-spectrophotometric methods have been established for simultaneous determination of salbutamol sulfate (SLB) in bulk powder and pharmaceutical forms. Both methods based on diazotization coupling reaction of SLB with another drug compound (sulfadimidine) as a safe and green diazotization agent in alkaline medium. At 444 nm, the maximum absorption of the orange azo-dye product was observed. A thorough investigation of all chemical and physical factors was conducted for batch and FIA procedures to achieve high sensitivity. Under the optimized experimental variables, SLB obeys Beer’s law in the concentration range of 0.25-4 and 10-100 μg/mL with limits of detection of 0.0

The global food supply heavily depends on utilizing fertilizers to meet production goals. The adverse impacts of traditional fertilization practices on the environment have necessitated the exploration of new alternatives in the form of smart fertilizer technologies (SFTs). This review seeks to categorize SFTs, which are slow and controlled-release Fertilizers (SCRFs), nano fertilizers, and biological fertilizers, and describes their operational principles. It examines the environmental implications of conventional fertilizers and outlines the attributes of SFTs that effectively address these concerns. The findings demonstrate a pronounced environmental advantage of SFTs, including enhanced crop yields, minimized nutrient loss, improved nut

Simple, precise and economic batch and flow injection analysis (FIA)-spectrophotometric methods have been established for simultaneous determination of salbutamol sulfate (SLB) in bulk powder and pharmaceutical forms. Both methods based on diazotization coupling reaction of SLB with another drug compound (sulfadimidine) as a safe and green diazotization agent in alkaline medium. At 444 nm, the maximum absorption of the orange azo-dye product was observed. A thorough investigation of all chemical and physical factors was conducted for batch and FIA procedures to achieve high sensitivity. Under the optimized experimental variables, SLB obeys Beer’s law in the concentration range of 0.25-4 and 10-100 μg/mL with limits of detection o

In this work, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite was prepared and hybrid with Graphene (Gr) by casting method. The morphological and optical properties were investigated. Fourier Transformer-Infrared (FT-IR) indicates the presence of primary distinctive peaks belonging to vibration groups that describe the prepared samples. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed a uniform dispersion of graphene within the PVP-MWCNT nanocomposite. The results of the optical study show decrease in the energy gap with increasing MWCNT and graphene concentration. The absorption coefficient spectra indicate the presence of two absorption peaks at 282 and 287 nm attributed to the π-π* electronic tr

Increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of silicon solar cells by improving their junction properties or minimizing light reflection losses remains a major challenge. Extensive studies were carried out in order to develop an effective antireflection coating for monocrystalline solar cells. Here we report on the preparation of a nanostructured cerium oxide thin film by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as an antireflection coating for silicon solar cell. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of a cerium oxide nanostructure film are investigated as a function of the number of laser pulses. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that the deposited cerium oxide films are crystalline in nature and have a cubic fluorite. The field

Background: Infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) leads to activation of T-helper cells (Th-1 and Th-2) which are involved in the synthesis and release of different cytokines which may lead to endothelial dysfunction. Objectives: To evaluate the endothelial function in patients with acute toxoplasmosis. Methods: This case-control study involved 31 patients with toxoplasmosis aged 19 - 47 years matched with 20 healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii antibody (IgG, IgM, IgA) was determined by direct antigen-antibody reaction. Interleukin-6(IL-6), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and human malondialdehyde (MDA) serum levels were measured. Results: IgM, IgG and IgA levels were high in the infected patients compared with controls (P < 0.01). Furthermore, IL-

Applications of remote sensing are important in improving potato production through the broader adoption of precision agriculture. This technology could be useful in decreasing the potential contamination of soil and water due to the over-fertilization of agriculture crops. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of active sensors (Crop Circle™, Holland Scientific, Inc., Lincoln, NE, USA and GreenSeeker™, Trimble Navigation Limited, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) and passive sensors (multispectral imaging with Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs)) to predict total potato yield and phosphorus (P) uptake. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications and six P treatments, ranging from 0 to 280 kg P ha−1, as

<span lang="EN-US">The use of bio-signals analysis in human-robot interaction is rapidly increasing. There is an urgent demand for it in various applications, including health care, rehabilitation, research, technology, and manufacturing. Despite several state-of-the-art bio-signals analyses in human-robot interaction (HRI) research, it is unclear which one is the best. In this paper, the following topics will be discussed: robotic systems should be given priority in the rehabilitation and aid of amputees and disabled people; second, domains of feature extraction approaches now in use, which are divided into three main sections (time, frequency, and time-frequency). The various domains will be discussed, then a discussion of e

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is widespread and involved in the pathogenesis of the majority of stomach and duodenal diseases. Reduced stomach acidity facilitates the initial infection. Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride) are essential for the production of stomach acid. This study aimed to observe any changes in the levels of serum electrolytes (Na, K, and Cl) and serum vitamin C levels in a sample of Iraqi patients infected with H. Pylori. We studied 30 infected patients with H. Pylori and 30 matched healthy controls. The results revealed that the serum sodium, potassium, and chloride levels were significantly decreased (p = 0.002, 0.003 and 0.0001, respectivel

In this work, pure and Ag-doped nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates with different dopant concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 wt.%) by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique at room temperature. These films were annealed at temperature of 450 °C. The structural and optical properties of the prepared thin films were studied. It was found that annealing process has lead to increase the transmittance of the deposited films. Also, the transmittance was found to increase with doping concentration of silver in the deposited NiO films. The optical energy gap was decreased from 3.5 to 3.2 eV as the doping concentration was increased to 0.4 %.

In this work, we have developed a model that describes the relationships between top predators (such as tigers, hyenas, and others), crop raiders (such as baboons, warthogs, and deer), and prey (such as deer) in the coffee forests of southwest Ethiopia. Various potential equilibrium points are identified. Additionally, the model's stability in the vicinity of these equilibrium points is examined. An investigation of the model's Hopf bifurcation is conducted concerning several significant parameters. It is found that prey species may be extinct due to a lower growth rate and consumption by top predators in the absence of human interference in the carrying capacity of prey. It is observed that top predators may be extinct due to human interfe

An optoelectronic flow-through detector for active ingredients determination in pharmaceutical formulations is explained. Two consecutive compact photodetector’s devices operating according to light-emitting diodes-solar cells concept where the LEDs acting as a light source and solar cells for measuring the attenuated light of the incident light at 180˚ have been developed. The turbidimetric detector, fabricated of ten light-emitting diodes and five solar cells only, integrated with a glass flow cell has been easily adapted in flow injection analysis manifold system. For active ingredients determination, the developed detector was successfully utilized for the development and validation of an analytical method for warfarin determination

Background: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost

The main objective of this paper is to develop and validate flow injection method, a precise, accurate, simple, economic, low cost and specific turbidimetric method for the quantitative determination of mebeverine hydrochloride (MbH) in pharmaceutical preparations.  A homemade NAG Dual & Solo (0-180º) analyser which contains two identical detections units (cell 1 and 2) was applied for turbidity measurements. The developed method was optimized for different chemical and physical parameters such as perception reagent concentrations, aqueous salts solutions, flow rate, the intensity of the sources light, sample volume, mixing coil and purge time. The correlation coefficients (r) of the developed method were 0.9980 and 0.9986 for cell

After baking the flour, azodicarbonamide, an approved food additive, can be converted into carcinogenic semicarbazide hydrochloride (SEM) and biurea in flour products. Thus, determine SEM in commercial bread products is become mandatory and need to be performed. Therefore, two accurate, precision, simple and economics colorimetric methods have been developed for the visual detection and quantitative determination of SEM in commercial flour products. The 1st method is based on the formation of a blue-coloured product with λmax at 690 nm as a result of a reaction between the SEM and potassium ferrocyanide in an acidic medium (pH 6.0). In the 2nd method, a brownish-green colored product is formed due to the reaction between the SEM and phosph

Cybersecurity refers to the actions that are used by people and companies to protect themselves and their information from cyber threats. Different security methods have been proposed for detecting network abnormal behavior, but some effective attacks are still a major concern in the computer community. Many security gaps, like Denial of Service, spam, phishing, and other types of attacks, are reported daily, and the attack numbers are growing. Intrusion detection is a security protection method that is used to detect and report any abnormal traffic automatically that may affect network security, such as internal attacks, external attacks, and maloperations. This paper proposed an anomaly intrusion detection system method based on a

In this study, (50–110 nm) magnetic iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of iron target in dimethylformamide (DMF) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions. The structural properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–VIS absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of laser fluence on the characteristics of these nanoparticles was studied. Antibacterial activities of iron oxide nanoparticles were tested against Gram-positive; Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative; Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens. The results sh

This study aims to explore the potential mediation role of person-centeredness between the effects of the work environment and nurse reported quality and patient safety. A quantitative cross-sectional survey collected data from 1055 nurses, working in medical and surgical units, in twelve Malaysian private hospitals. The data collection used structured questionnaires. The Hayes macro explored the mediation effect of person-centeredness between the associations of work environment dimensions and care outcomes, controlling nurses’ demographics and practice characteristics. A total of 652 nurses responded completely to the survey (61.8% response rate). About 47.7% of nurses worked 7-h shifts, and 37.0% were assigned more than 15 pati

In this article, the casting method was used to prepare poly(methyl methacrylate)/hydroxyapatite (PMMA/HA) nanocomposite films incorporated with different contents (0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt%) of graphene nanoplatelets (Gnp). The chemical properties and surface morphology of the PMMA/HA blend and PMMA/HA/Gnp nanocomposite were characterized using FTIR, and SEM analysis. Besides, the thermal conductivity, dielectric and electrical properties at (1–107 Hz) of the PMMA/HA blend and PMMA/HA/Gnp composites were investigated. The structural analysis showed that the synthesized composites had a low agglomerated state, with multiple wrinkles of graphene flakes in the PMMA/HA blend. The thermal conductivity was improved by more than 35-fold its value for

The influence of acid activation of a mixture of illite, kaolinite, and chlorite clays collected from the area of Zorbatiya (east of Iraq) on the adsorption of methyl violet 6B (MV6B) as a cationic dye was studied. The activation was carried out by using 0.25M HCl and 0.25M . Raw and acid-activated clays were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Batch adsorption method was used to study the adsorption of MV6B onto the raw and acid activated clays. The impacts of different factors on the adsorption process were studied, such as clay weight, agitation time, starting MV6B concentration, temperature, ionic strength, and solution pH. The adsorption process was desc