The main purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the concentrations of six essential metals (Na⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺) in saffron and a farm soil using the neutron activation analysis (NAA) as a nuclear spectrometry method. The stratified random sampling method was used here. The NAA results showed the well uptake of Mg²⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Zn²⁺ in saffron, which is lower than the toxicity range. Based on the contamination factor and geoaccumulation index, soil contamination levels were determined uncontaminated by Zn, moderately contaminated by Na⁺ and Fe²⁺, and strongly contamin

The agricultural sector suffers from many risks and natural disasters, such as droughts and heavy rains that cause floods, as well as hail and agricultural pests, etc., that threaten agricultural activity and reduce it, which leads to the failure of farmers and peasants for fear of being subjected to continuous losses. Nevertheless, we notice almost complete reluctance to move towards agricultural insurance, due to the dependence of farmers on the government, which adopts the principle of compensation instead of agricultural insurance when natural disasters happen despite the difficulties and financial hardship as well as the suspicion of corruption that haunt the compensation process and this represents the most important problem for resea

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

Rationale, aims and objectives: A review of studies published over the last six years gives update about this hot topic. In the middle of COVID-19 pandemic, this study findings can help understand how population may perceive vaccinations. The objectives of this study were to review the literature covering the perceptions about influenza vaccines and to determine factors influencing the acceptance of vaccination using Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed utilizing PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Three keywords were used: Influenza vaccine, perceptions, and Middle East. Empirical studies that dealt with people/ HCW perceptions of influenza vaccine in the Middle East and writt

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an acute disease that affects the respiratory system which initially appeared in Wuhan, China. In Feb 2019 the sickness began to spread swiftly throughout the entire planet, causing significant health, social, and economic problems. Time series is an important statistical method used to study and analyze a particular phenomenon, identify its pattern and factors, and use it to predict future values. The main focus of the research is to shed light on the study of SARIMA, NARNN, and hybrid models, expecting that the series comprises both linear and non-linear compounds, and that the ARIMA model can deal with the linear component and the NARNN model can deal with the non-linear component. The models

The advent of UNHCR reports has given rise to the uniqueness of its distinctive way of image representation and using semiotic features. So, there are a lot of researches that have investigated UNHCR reports, but no research has examined images in UNHCR reports of displaced Iraqis from a multimodal discourse perspective. The present study suggests that the images are, like language, rich in many potential meanings and are governed by clearly visual grammar structures that can be employed to decode these multiple meanings. Seven images are examined in terms of their representational, interactional and compositional aspects. Depending on the results, this study concludes that the findings support the visual grammar theory and highlight the va