Dust storms are typical in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East; the frequency and severity of dust storms have grown dramatically in Iraq in recent years. This paper identifies the dust storm sources in Iraq using remotely sensed data from Meteosat-spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) bands. Extracted combined satellite images and simulated frontal dust storm trajectories, using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, are used to identify the most influential sources in the Middle East and Iraq. Out of 132 dust storms in Iraq during 2020–2023, the most frequent occurred in the spring and summer. A dust source frequency percentage map (DSFPM) is generated using ArcGIS software. The regions located in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan are the largest dust storm sources. New dust sources are identified in Iraq’s southwestern and western regions, such as Al-Nukhaib, Wadi Hauran, and Sinjar, along with new sources in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. The most common sources are concentrated in Iraq (55.31%), mainly in the Tigris and Euphrates basin, western desert, and Al-Jazeera region, followed by Syria (19.55%), Saudi Arabia (12.29%), and Jordan (11.73%). The highest dust storm source frequency in Iraq is found in the Al- Samawa desert’s southern region (27.37%). Also, the highest frequency of dust sources from each country is determined. Knowing the origins and trajectories of dust storms will enhance treatments of these causes and their consequences on the environment and socio-economics of the region. It contributes to the support of specialised regional agencies to mitigate this phenomenon.
During COVID-19, wearing a mask was globally mandated in various workplaces, departments, and offices. New deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) based classifications were proposed to increase the validation accuracy of face mask detection. This work introduces a face mask model that is able to recognize whether a person is wearing mask or not. The proposed model has two stages to detect and recognize the face mask; at the first stage, the Haar cascade detector is used to detect the face, while at the second stage, the proposed CNN model is used as a classification model that is built from scratch. The experiment was applied on masked faces (MAFA) dataset with images of 160x160 pixels size and RGB color. The model achieve
... Show MoreAbstract :H.pylori is an important cause of gastric duodenal disease, including gastric ulcers, Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), and gastric carcinoma. biosensors are becoming the most extensively studied discipline because the easy, rapid, low-cost, highly sensitive, and highly selective biosensors contribute to advances in next-generation medicines such as individualized medicine and ultrasensitive point-of-care detection of markers for diseases. Five of ten patients diagnosed with H.pylori ranging in age from 15–85 participated in this research. who [gastritis, duodenitis, duodenal ulcer (DU), and peptic ulcer (PU)] Suspected H.pylori colonies w
... Show MoreThe meniscus has a crucial function in human anatomy, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (M.R.I.) plays an essential role in meniscus assessment. It is difficult to identify cartilage lesions using typical image processing approaches because the M.R.I. data is so diverse. An M.R.I. data sequence comprises numerous images, and the attributes area we are searching for may differ from each image in the series. Therefore, feature extraction gets more complicated, hence specifically, traditional image processing becomes very complex. In traditional image processing, a human tells a computer what should be there, but a deep learning (D.L.) algorithm extracts the features of what is already there automatically. The surface changes become valuable when
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. RESULTS:
... Show MoreWeed control with chemicals is a challenging process that should be performed in a rational way to reduce their negative impact on the surrounding environment. The growth of artificial intelligence algorithms encourages researchers to develop smart spraying robots that detect and spray weeds and distinguish them from the main crop which leads to sustainable use of these chemicals and achieves some of the sustainable development goals. However, few studies are available to comprehensively compare different versions of YOLO algorithm to detect weed. In this research, seven versions of YOLO algorithms were evaluated for their performance to detect and spray four t
A total of 533 specimens were collected in survey of Brachyceran species from different regions of Iraq during February to November 2014 .This study was reported 16 species belonging to 13 genera and 7 families, the results showed that Dicranosepsis Duda, 1926 (Family; Sepsidae) is recorded the genus for the first time in Iraq.
The stratigraphic sequence of Cenomanian-Early Turonian is composed of Ahmadi, Rumaila, and Mishrif formations in the Rifai, Noor and Halfaya Oil Fields within the Mesopotamian Zone of Iraq, which is bounded at top and bottom by unconformity surfaces. The microfacies analysis of the study wells assisted the recognition of five main environments (open marine, basinal, shallow open marine, Rudist biostrome, and lagoon); these microfacies were indicative of a normal lateral change facies from shallow water facies to deeper water and open marine sediments.
Ahmadi Formation (Early Cenomanian) is characterized by open marine sediments during the transgressive conditions, and would be
... Show MoreShallow foundations are usually used for structures with light to moderate loads where the soil underneath can carry them. In some cases, soil strength and/or other properties are not adequate and require improvement using one of the ground improvement techniques. Stone column is one of the common improvement techniques in which a column of stone is installed vertically in clayey soils. Stone columns are usually used to increase soil strength and to accelerate soil consolidation by acting as vertical drains. Many researches have been done to estimate the behavior of the improved soil. However, none of them considered the effect of stone column geometry on the behavior of the circular footing. In this research, finite ele
... Show MoreProviding Iraqi students with proficiency in English is the ultimate goal of the educational system which is a way of getting knowledge in the fields of arts, sciences, transferring knowledge and sciences to other communities. Therefore, conducting such a type of study is very important because the contents of English textbooks have a huge influence on learning of the students. Once the content of English textbooks contain errors as the correct one, this will effect on his/her learning. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the new course entitled “English for Iraq” for fifth grade students for secondary schools, by Olivia Johnston and Mark Farell. It aims to answer eleven questions relating to the following domains: strength, obj
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