The aim of this paper is to present the first record of ctenophore species Pleurobrachia pileus (O. F. Müller, 1776) in the coral reef as was recently found in Iraqi marine waters. The specimens were collected from two sites, the first was in Khor Abdullah during May 2015, and the second site was located in the pelagic water of the coral reef area, near the Al-Basrah deep sea crude oil marine loading terminal. Three samples were collected at this site during May 2015, February and March 2018 which showed that P. pileus were present at a densities of 3.0, 2.2 and 0.55 ind./ m³ respectively. The species can affect on the abundance of other zooplankton community through predation.

Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometers (PCFIs) are widely used for sensing applications. This work presents the fabrication and the characterization of a relative humidity sensor based on a polymer-coated photonic crystal fiber that operates in a Mach- Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) transmission mode. The fabrication of the sensor involved splicing a short (1 cm) length of Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) between two single-mode fibers (SMF). It was then coated with a layer of agarose solution. Experimental results showed that a high humidity sensitivity of 29.37 pm/%RH was achieved within a measurement range of 27–95%RH. The sensor also showed good repeatability, small size, measurement accuracy and wide humidity range. The RH sensitivity o

Removal of Congo red, Rhodamine B, and Dispers Blue dyes from water solution have been achieved using Flint Clay as an adsorbent. The adsorption was studied as a function of contact time, adsorbent dose, pH, and temperature under batch adsorption technique. The equilibrium data fit with Langmuir, Freundlich and Toth models of adsorption and the linear regression coefficient R2 was used to elucidate the best fitting isotherm model. Different thermodynamic parameters, namely Gibb’s free energy, enthalpy and entropy of the on-going adsorption process have also been evaluated. Batch technique has been employed for the kinetic measurements and the adsorption of the three dyes follows a second order rate kinetics. The kinetic investigations al

Salmonellosis in poultry is one of the most significant bacterial infections causing mortality, reduced production, and serious economic losses. This study aimed to study the molecular diversity among Salmonella isolates and investigate the epidemiological spread of these bacteria in broiler and layer chicken flocks in five different farms in Karbala, Iraq, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In total, 217 cloac a swabs were collected from the farms, out of which 129 and 88 swabs were taken from broiler and layer chickens. The samples were screened by PCR for S. enterica subsp. enterica using primers specific for the invA gene. Afterward, RAPD-PCR with uniplex or multiplex octamer primers was appli

Apparent molar volume, V?, and viscosity B-coefficient of nicotinc acid in water and in aqueous NaCl solutions have been determined from density and viscosity measurements at (293.15, 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15) K. The experimental density data were evaluated by Masson equation, and the derived, apparent molar volume at infinite dilution, Vo?, and the slope Sv, were interpreted in term of solute-solvent and solute- solute interactions. Transfer apparent molar volumes at infinite dilution of nicotinic acid from water to NaCl solutions at various temperatures have been calculated.The viscosity data have been analyzed using Jones-Dole equation, and the derived parameters, Jones-Dolecoefficient, B,and Falkenhagen coefficient,A, have been also in

The present paper aims at evaluating the vailability quality and future horizons of potable water in the city of Shatra as a model. This is done in accordance with certain subjective and objective factors alongside the classification map of Shatra as a residential area. This system follows geographical studies specialized in urban construction. The problem of the present paper as well as the data approaching that problem have been chosen from the records of 2018. The researcher offered (919) questionnaire forms to be answered by a sample of dwellers in that area. Besides, the researcher also followed lab analysis of water samples collected from districts in the city of Shatra. GIS technology was also used to arrive at the real water shar

Background Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin conditions; its prevalence ranges from 1 to 3%. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine that enhances inflammation, is overexpressed in synovium and skin plaques in psoriasis. TNF-α plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-10 is the most crucial cytokine for reducing excessive immune responses and decreasing pro-inflammatory reactions in all autoimmune disorders.   Objective To evaluate the effect of Apremilast on ILـ10, TNFـα, and BMI in obese psoriatic patients.   Methods Thirty patients included in this investigative study to measure the concentrations of TNFـα, ILـ10 and BMI, before and after receiving Apremilast. TNFـα and