The present study aims to investigate the seroprevalence rate of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its relation to some demographic factors among males in Duhok province/Iraq. A total of 424 random blood samples were collected from the male population of different ages (18-60) years and different social-economic classes. Out of 424 samples examined, 108 (25.47%) were seropositive to the anti- T. gondii antibodies; 88 (20.75%) were found seropositive for IgG, while 20 (4.72%) samples were seropositive for IgM. Regarding occupation, the highest percentage for chronic toxoplasmosis was reported in workers followed by policemen and pensioners at rates of 23.96%, 23.6%, and 23.07%, respectively. The age group 18-30 years showed the highest seropositive rate which was 26.6%; the seropositivity rate decreased with the increase of age. Regarding the blood groups, the highest percentage of IgG was reported in both O+ and B- groups, which were 23.2% and 23.1%, respectively. The higher rate of seropositivity was observed among married males (21.32%) as compared to unmarried males (19.05%) and fertile (22.3%) versus sterile males (12.5%). Concerning IgM antibodies, the highest seropositivity (9.4%) was reported in infertile males. The results of this study showed the importance of demographic factors to the epidemiology of T. gondii in males, which support the role of public health in the control of infectious diseases.
The present study was conducted in the Tigris River within Baghdad (University of Baghdad campus). The study included some physicochemical parameters and qualitative of epiphytic algae on the host plant (Ceratophyllum demersum) during summer season 2013. The results revealed that the study area was alkaline, hard and oxygenated water. A total of 105 taxa of epiphytic algae was identified. Bacillariophyceae diatoms composed 44.7% of the total and were represented by 42.4% of the order Pennales and 1.9 %of the order Centrales. Chlorophyceae composed 32.3%, followed by Cyanophyceae composed 22.8 % of the total. The total number of epiphytic algae was fluctuated among the study period. Most of the identified algae were benthos type and a few
... Show MoreThe research aims to assess the claystone exposed in the Nfayil Formation (Middle Miocene) for Portland cement (P.C.) manufacturing based on mineralogy and geochemistry. The importance of the study is to avoid the miming of the agricultural soils that are mining now for the cement industry. Claystones of Nfayil Formation and the limestone of the Euphrates Formation were used to design the raw mixture as clay to limestone (1:3). The chemical composition (%) of the designed mixture was calculated using the Alligation Alternative Method (A.A.M.) as CaO (65.52), MgO (1.05), SiO2 (21.65), Al2O3 (7.43), Fe2O3 (2.62), Na2O3+K2O (1.52) and SO3 (0.26), which are suitable for P.C. The lime saturation factor (LSF = 92.8), silica saturation fac
... Show MoreCompelling evidence proved that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disproportionately affects minorities. The goal of the present study was to explore the effects of intersected discrimination and discrimination types on COVID-19, mental health, and cognition. A sample of 542 Iraqis, 55.7% females, age ranged from 18 to 73, with (M = 31.16, SD = 9.77). 48.7% were Muslims, and 51.3% were Christians (N = 278). We used measures for COVID-19 stressors, executive functions, intersected discrimination (gender discrimination, social groups-based discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and genocidal discrimination), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, status and death, existential anxieties, and health. We conducted in
... Show MoreThe research seeks to identify the image of foreign oil companies operating in Iraq among the public of Basra, and the research aims to clarify the mental image of foreign oil companies among the Iraqi public, and to identify the extent to which the Iraqi public benefit from the social responsibility programs offered by foreign oil companies and their contribution to improving the standard of living and services for the population. Nearby areas and society as a whole, the research is classified within descriptive research, and the researcher used the survey method for the Iraqi public in Basra governorate, which includes the areas in which these companies are located, and he used the scale tool to find out, so he distributed 600 que
... Show MoreContracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964 is a nematode which causes major concerns to human and wildlife animal’s health. However, the population genetics of C. rudolphii has been poorly studied in Iraq. In order to gain a deeper understanding in the outline of the genetic diversity of the nematode C. rudolphii that were isolated from its host cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758), in the middle areas of Iraq, twenty specimens of C. rudolphii adults were isolated from nine individuals of P. carbo. The first (ITS-1) internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of C. rudolphii were amplified using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR); then, the amplicons were subjected to sequencing. Concatenation of ITS
... Show MoreAcuaria skrjabini Ozerskaya, 1926 and Dispharynx nasuta (Rudolphi, 1819) Stiles and Hassall, 1920, were found embedded in the mucosa of the gizzards of 26.97% of house sparrows, Passer domesticus biblicus collected in Baghdad City. Their morphometric and meristic features were expressed and compared with that reported in other studies.
Haemoproteus burhinus is described from the stone curlew, Burhinus oedicnemus saharae (Reichenow) from Al-Attariya, 45 km SE Baghdad city middle of Iraq. It is related to but differs from H. peireci in that it hypertrophied the erythrocyte and the erythrocyte nucleus is always laterally displaced in microgametocytes.
The study aims to predict Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) as a water quality indicator parameter at spatial and temporal distribution of the Tigris River, Iraq by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. This study was conducted on this river between Mosul and Amarah in Iraq on five positions stretching along the river for the period from 2001to 2011. In the ANNs model calibration, a computer program of multiple linear regressions is used to obtain a set of coefficient for a linear model. The input parameters of the ANNs model were the discharge of the Tigris River, the year, the month and the distance of the sampling stations from upstream of the river. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the distance and discharge
... Show MoreIt is well known that the rate of penetration is a key function for drilling engineers since it is directly related to the final well cost, thus reducing the non-productive time is a target of interest for all oil companies by optimizing the drilling processes or drilling parameters. These drilling parameters include mechanical (RPM, WOB, flow rate, SPP, torque and hook load) and travel transit time. The big challenge prediction is the complex interconnection between the drilling parameters so artificial intelligence techniques have been conducted in this study to predict ROP using operational drilling parameters and formation characteristics. In the current study, three AI techniques have been used which are neural network, fuzzy i
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