Ecosystems provide humans with services that include benefits from food, fresh water, climate regulation, and socio-economic assets. The Mesopotamian marshlands are among the largest wetlands in the Middle East and they provide various benefits. However, ecosystem services of the Marshlands are consistently undervalued in national economic analysis and decision making. This study focusses on the Central Marshes, the first National Park in Iraq, and is the first attempt at valuing a series of ecosystem services from a valuable natural ecosystem in Iraq. We adopted the Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-Based Assessment (TESSA) for the determination of biophysical and economic values of services at the site level. Data on key ecosystem services (as determined by 30 interviews with residents of the Marshes) included the trading of fish, harvested plants, water buffalo milk, and fodder were collected across six months in 2014. We valued the ecosystem services within the CM (40,000 ha) over a 6-month period to have a total value of 860,078.23 USD. This estimated total value was the sum of 86,637.25 USD from harvested plants, 551,334.80 USD from trading fish, 167, 303.70 USD from trading water buffalo milk, and 54,804.00 USD from trading fodder. The average income per individual in Iraq in 2014 was 6720 USD (World Bank data - https://data.worldbank.org/country/iraq): thus, the CM provided an average salary for 256 people. Our results provided greater understanding of the ecosystem services contributed by the Central Marshes and has highlighted the crucial role of nature in supporting sustainable well-being for humans living in the area. In addition, the results can be used to enhance local policy, to aid management plans of the National park, and to estimate lost and damage that could result from impact of climate change on the area.
In the current study, two sites were selected from the city of Adhamiya, central Baghdad. The first site is the Adhamiya Corniche, which includes a sample of river water and the second includes domestic sewage in the same area. The total density of benthic invertebrates was 775 ind/m2, which is divided into 15 taxa. Biological indices were found, such as the stability index, the abundance index, the biodiversity index (Shannon’s index), the homogeneity index, and the invader’s guide. The result showed an increase in the density of benthic invertebrates, as well as an increase in the diversity of these organisms.
The inhibitory action of four lactobacilli isolates Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, L. plantarum and L. fermentum, isolated from four different samples; yoghurt, vinegar, saliva and vagina respectively, on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to uroepithelial cells were investigated. Results showed that all Lactobacillus isolates or their supernatant were able to reduce the number of the uropathogens attached to uroepithelial cells. However, inhibition level of lactobacilli cells was higher than their supernatant. Nevertheless, the human indigenous lactobacilli (L. fermentum and L. plantarum) were more competitive than food lactobacilli (L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus).
Mass transfer has been studied at rotating cylinder electrodes fabricated with spiral-wound woven-wire meshes using reduction of copper as a test reaction. The experimental data were correlated by an empirical expression between the Sherwood number and the Reynolds number, both regarding the hydraulic diameter as a characteristic length. It was found that the Sherwood number was dependent upon the Reynolds number to the power of 0.521. An enhancement factor was adopted to compare the efficiency of the new rotating cylinder electrode with previous three-dimensional rotating cylinder electrodes. The results showed that the new type has a mass-transfer enhancement factor 2.3 times higher than those obtained with smooth rotating cylinder electr
... Show MoreObjective: To study the effect of epidural spinal injection over one year in case of spinal stenosis. Methodology: This prospective study included 566 patients with spinal stenosis seen at Al-Kindy Teaching and Al-Sader, Hospitals who were treated by local epidural steroid injection. They were followed up for at least five subsequent visits after seven days, one month, three months, six months, and one year to assess efficacy. Result: Mean age of patients was 49.5 years, with a predominance of females (65%). L4/L5 was the most involved level in the spinal stenosis (70%). Grade II stenosis accounted for (45.4%) of cases. The pairwise comparison revealed that there was significant decrease in proportions of patients with pain in day
... Show MoreIn the current study, the definition of mapping of fuzzy neutrosophic generalized semi-continuous and fuzzy neutrosophic alpha has generalized mapping as continuous. The study confirmed some theorems regarding such a concept. In the following, it has been found relationships among fuzzy neutrosophic alpha generalized mapping as continuous, fuzzy neutrosophic mapping as continuous, fuzzy neutrosophic alpha mapping as continuous, fuzzy neutrosophic generalized semi mapping as continuous, fuzzy neutrosophic pre mapping as continuous and fuzzy neutrosophic γ mapping as continuous.
The effect of three ionic liquids viz., 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (ILE), 1-hexyl-3-metylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (ILF) and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (ILG) when used as surfactants on the performance of dissolved air floatation (DAF) was investigated.
Experiments were conducted at a temperature of 30-35 ºC, 10ppm ferric chloride as coagulant, 50% recycle ratio, pH 8, and 10 minutes treatment time to find oil and grease (OG) and turbidity removal efficiencies at saturation pressure (2-6) bar.
ILs were used at concentration of 50 µl/liter of treated water in two positions in DAF system; the saturation vessel and the treatment tank. The performance using ILs
... Show More12 membered Schiff base macrocyclic ligands, 6,7,14,15-tetra phenyl-1,2,3,4, 4a,8a, 9,10, 11,12, 12a,16a-dodecahydro dibenzo [b,h] [1,4,7,10] tetraazacyclododecine L1, and 14 membered Schiff base macrocyclic ligands, 6,8,15,17-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4, 4a,7,9a, 10,11,12,13,13a,16,18a-tetra decahydro dibenzo[b,i] [1, 4,8,11] cyclotetradecine tetraaza L2, 7,16-bis(2,4- dichloro benz ylidene)-6,8,15,17-tetra methyl-1,2,3,4, 4a,7,9a, 10, 11,12, 13, 13a,16,18a-tetra deca hydro dibenzo [b,i] [1,4,8,11] tetra azacyclo tetra decine L3 and 6,8,15, 17-tetramethyl-1,2,3, 4,4a,9a,10, 11,12,13,13a,18a-dodecahydro dibenzo [b,i] [1,4,8, 11] tetraazacyclo tetradecine (7,16-diylidene) bis(methanylyli dene) bis (N,N-dimethylaniline) L4 were synthesized by condens
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