The Tigris River, a vital water resource for Iraq, faces significant challenges due to urbanization, agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and climate change, leading to deteriorating water quality. Traditional methods for assessing irrigation water quality, such as laboratory testing and statistical modeling, are often insufficient for capturing dynamic and nonlinear relationships between parameters. This study proposes a novel application of the Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) to estimate the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) along the Tigris River. Using data from multiple stations, the study evaluates spatial variability in water quality, focusing on key parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS). Results demonstrate that larger agent populations in GSA achieve lower mean absolute errors (MAE = 18.77) and faster convergence (216 iterations), enhancing IWQI estimation accuracy. This scalable structure fosters eco-friendly water administration, allowing policymakers to maintain the ecological integrity of the Tigris River and ensure long-term agricultural productivity.
A new class of biologically active nanocomposites and modified polymers based on poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with some organic compounds [II, IV, V and VI] were synthesized using silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). All compounds were synthesized using nucleophilic substitution interactions and characterized by FTIR, DSC and TGA. The biological activity of the modified polymers was evaluated against: gram (+) (staphylococcus aureus) and gram (-): (Es cherichia coli bacteria). Antimicrobial films are developed based on modified poly (vinyl alcohol) MPVA and Ag-NPs nanoparticles. The nanocomposites and modified polymers showed better antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (Gram negative) than against Staphyloc
... Show MoreThe current investigation examines the combined impacts of ultrasonic radiation and hydrogen donors on the viscosity of heavy crude oil. The impact of exposure time, power, duty cycle, and temperature on the viscosity of Iraqi heavy crude oil with 20.32 API was studied. Also, the viscosity of the oil samples, which were mixed with a hydrogen donor (decalin) and subjected to ultrasonic treatment under optimal conditions, was examined to evaluate the combined impact of ultrasonic radiation and hydrogen donor on the viscosity of crude oil. The viscosity experienced a decrease of 52.34% at 2 min of irradiation, 360 W ultrasonic power, 0.8 duty cycle, 35 ⁰C, and 8vol% decalin. To validate the outcomes of the experiments, asphaltene content, s
... Show MoreBiologically active natural compounds are molecules produced by plants or plant-related microbes, such as endophytes. Many of these metabolites have a wide range of antimicrobial activities and other pharmaceutical properties. This study aimed to evaluate (in vitro) the antifungal activities of the secondary metabolites obtained from Paecilomyces sp. against the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The endophytic fungus Paecilomyces was isolated from Moringa oleifera leaves and cultured on potato dextrose broth for the production of the fungal metabolites. The activity of Paecilomyces filtrate against the radial growth of Rhizoctonia solani was tested by mixing the filtrate with potato dextrose agar medium at concentrations of 15%,
... Show MoreThe shape dimensions and characteristics of pollen grains and seeds have importance in distinguish among species. Therefore, the present study included morphological characteristics of pollen grains and seeds for eight species belonging to eight genera of the family Brassicaceae and these species are: Alliaria petiolata (M.Bieb) Cavara et Grand, Aubrieta parviflora Boiss, Cardamine hirsuta L., Crambe orientalis L., Eromobium aegyptiacum (Spreng.) Schweinf.et Asch.ex Boiss., Parlatoria cakiloidea Boiss., Sterigmostemum sulphureum (Banksetsol.) Bornm. Neotorularia torulosa (Desf.) Hedge & J. Leonard. The pollen grains were studied in morphological and full measurements were taken, the study showed that the majority of the pollen grai
... Show MoreMoisture-induced damage is a serious problem that severely impairs asphaltic pavement and affects road serviceability. This study examined numerous variables in asphalt concrete mixtures to assess their impact on moisture damage resistance. Mix design parameters such as the asphalt content (AC) and aggregate passing sieve No. 4 (PNo. 4) were considered as variables during this study. Additionally, hydrated lime (HL) was utilized as a partial substitute for limestone dust (LS) filler at 1.5% by weight of the aggregate in asphalt concrete mixtures for the surface layer. This study also investigated the potential enhancement of traditional asphalt binders and mixtures by adding nano-additives, specifically nano-silica oxide (NS) and na
... Show MoreThe inelastic C2 form factors and the charge density distribution (CDD) for 58,60,62Ni and 64,66,68Zn nuclei has been investigated by employing the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock method with (Sk35-Skzs*) parametrization. The inelastic C2 form factor is calculated by using the shape of Tassie and Bohr-Mottelson models with appropriate proton and neutron effective charges to account for the core-polarization effects contribution. The comparison of the predicted theoretical values was conducted with the available measured data for C2 and CDD form factors and showed very good agreement.
This study investigated the shear performance of concrete beams with GFRP stirrups vs. traditional steel stirrups. Longitudinal glass fiber‐reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars were used to doubly reinforce the tested beams at both the top and bottom of their cross sections. To accomplish this, several stirrup spacings were provided. Eight beam specimens, measuring 300 × 250 × 2400 mm, were used in an experimental program to test under a two‐point concentrated load with an equal span‐to‐depth ratio until failure. Four beams in Group I have standard mild steel stirrups of 8 mm diameter, while four beams in Group II have GFRP stirrups with the same adopted diameter. The difference betwe
A friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process is an emerging solid state joining process in which the material that is being welded does not melt. In this investigation an attempt has been made to understand the effect of tool shoulder diameter on the mechanical properties of the joint. For this purpose four welding tools diameter (10,13, 16 and 19) mm at constant preheating time and plunging time were used to carry
out welding process. Effect of tool diameter on mechanical properties of welded joints was investigated using shear stress test and Microhardness of joint which welded was studied. Based on the stir welding experiments conducted in this study the results show that aluminum alloy (1200) can be welded using (FSSW) process with