Background: The prolonged retention of progesterone-infused intravaginal sponges in estrous synchronization protocols, results in alteration of vaginal microflora, disturbance of vaginal pH, and increased vaginitis in goats. These changes lead to the growth of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, which need antibiotics to treat this condition. Probiotics have recently been suggested as an alternative method for the maintenance of vaginal health and improving animal fertility. Aim: To investigate the effects of probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum and L. acidophilus), in compared with enrofloxacin and a control group, on vaginal microflora, vaginal pH, vaginitis incidence, and fertility in Black Iraqi goats synchronized with the progesterone intravaginal sponges. Methods: Thirty adult black Iraqi goats, aged (2-4) years, were randomly divided into three separate groups, each group (n= 10). The first group received progesterone sponge only (control). The second group received progesterone sponges combined with 50 mg of intravaginal enrofloxacin. The third group received progesterone sponges combined with probiotic suspension (2×109 CFU/sponge L. plantarum and L. acidophilus). Vaginal swabs were collected prior to sponge insertion (Day 0) and immediately after sponge removal (Day 14), for bacterial isolation, pH measurement and cytological evaluation of vaginitis. Pregnancy diagnosed by ultrasound 28±3 after mating. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results: The incidence of vaginitis was significantly increased (P<0.05) in all groups, observed 80%, 60%, and 50% in the control, enrofloxacin, and probiotic groups, respectively. The mean vaginal pH increased significantly in all groups (P<0.001) was highest in the control group (8.1±0.16) and lowest in the probiotic group (6.9±0.12) (F2, 27=9.73; P<0.05) after sponge removal. Escherichia coli was most predominant in all groups; it increased 90% in the control group and declined to 30% (P<0.05) and 40% (P<0.05) in the enrofloxacin and probiotic groups, respectively. Lactobacillus spp. increased to 70% in the probiotic group though not significantly (P>0.05). The pregnancy rates were 50% in the control group and 80% in both treated groups, with a highly significant difference among groups (χ²= 57.6; P<0.01). Conclusion: The application of the intravaginal probiotic modified vaginal microflora, maintained vaginal pH, decreased vaginitis and improved animal fertility. The probiotic efficacy was comparable to enrofloxacin without destroying beneficial bacteria.
The improvement in Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation when the received signals impinge on Active-Parasitic Antenna (APA) arrays will be studied in this work. An APA array consists of several active antennas; others are parasitic antennas. The responses to the received signals are measured at the loaded terminals of the active element. The terminals of the parasitic element are shorted. The effect of the received signals on the parasites, i.e., the induced short-circuit current, is mutually coupled to the active elements. Eigen decomposition of the covariance matrix of the measurements of the APA array generates a third subspace in addition to the traditional signal and noise subspaces generated by the all-active ante
... Show MoreThe complexity and partially defined nature of jet grouting make it hard to predict the performance of grouted piles. So the trials of cement injection at a location with similar soil properties as the erecting site are necessary to assess the performance of the grouted piles. Nevertheless, instead of executing trial-injected piles at the pilot site, which wastes money, time, and effort, the laboratory cement injection devices are essential alternatives for evaluating soil injection ability. This study assesses the performance of a low-pressure laboratory grouting device by improving loose sandy soil injected using binders formed of Silica Fume (SF) as a chemical admixture (10% of Ordinary Portland Cement OPC mass) to di
... Show MoreWater quality planning relies on Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD. BOD testing takes five days. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is increasingly used for water resource forecasting. This work designed a PSO technique for estimating everyday BOD at Al-Rustumiya wastewater treatment facility inlet. Al-Rustumiya wastewater treatment plant provided 702 plant-scale data sets during 2012-2022. The PSO model uses the daily data of the water quality parameters, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), chloride (Cl-), suspended solid (SS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and pH, to determine how each variable affects the daily incoming BOD. PSO and multiple linear regression (MLR) findings are compared, and their perfor
... Show MoreSeveral stress-strain models were used to predict the strengths of steel fiber reinforced concrete, which are distinctive of the material. However, insufficient research has been done on the influence of hybrid fiber combinations (comprising two or more distinct fibers) on the characteristics of concrete. For this reason, the researchers conducted an experimental program to determine the stress-strain relationship of 30 concrete samples reinforced with two distinct fibers (a hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol and steel fibers), with compressive strengths ranging from 40 to 120 MPa. A total of 80% of the experimental results were used to develop a new empirical stress-strain model, which was accomplished through the application of the parti
... Show MoreGundelia, a genus of flowering plants native to the Mediterranean region, particularly in Iraq, holds promise as a sustainable adsorbent for the treatment of dye-polluted water. This study explores the potential of Gundelia seeds (GS) waste as a biobased adsorbent for removing methylene blue dye from synthesized wastewater. Utilizing various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), we assessed GS as an active adsorbent with performance comparable to fabricated and expensive composites. Key parameters such as pH (3-11), pH at the point of zero charge, temperature (298-328 K), dose (0.02-0.1 g), dye concentration (10-50 ppm), and
... Show MoreCircular thin walled structures have wide range of applications. This type of structure is generally exposed to different types of loads, but one of the most important types is a buckling. In this work, the phenomena of buckling was studied by using finite element analysis. The circular thin walled structure in this study is constructed from; cylindrical thin shell strengthen by longitudinal stringers, subjected to pure bending in one plane. In addition, Taguchi method was used to identify the optimum combination set of parameters for enhancement of the critical buckling load value, as well as to investigate the most effective parameter. The parameters that have been analyzed were; cylinder shell thickness, shape of stiffeners section an
... Show MoreMr. Talib Al-Rifai embarked on his political journey at an early stage, engaging in Islamic activism at the age of twenty-two in 1953. During this period, he established strong connections with numerous figures and members affiliated with Sunni Islamic parties, which expanded his sphere of influence and social network. Despite his close interaction with these organizations, he was careful to maintain his independence and avoided formal affiliation with any specific party or organized movement. Al-Rifai distinguished himself by his ability to engage with diverse Islamic currents while maintaining his intellectual independence, which provided him with significant flexibility and enabled him to cultivate a broad network of relationshi
... Show More