Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is relatively a new technology which enables the production and compaction of asphalt concrete mixtures at temperatures 15-40 °C lower than that of traditional hot mix asphalt HMA. In the present work, six asphalt concrete mixtures were produced in the mix plant (1 ton each) in six different batches. Half of these mixes were WMA and the other half were HMA.  Three types of fillers (limestone dust, Portland cement and hydrated lime) were used for each type of mix. Samples were then taken from these patches and transferred to lab for performance testing which includes: Marshall characteristics, moisture susceptibility (indirect tension test), resilient modulus, permanent deformation (axial repeated load test)

Yeasts are distributed in all environments and have been reported as potential biocontrol agents against various phytopathogenic fungi. To investigate their enzymatic and biological activities, 32 yeasts were isolated from 15 date vinegar samples. Evaluation of the antagonistic activities of isolated yeasts against the plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporium, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Macrophomina phaseolina indicated that there are two yeasts had the highest inhibitory effect against plant pathogens, these yeasts identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii using traditional and molecular methods. These yeast isolates were tested for fungal cell wall degrading enzymes (in vitro), and results indicated that the

This study aims to study some morphological and reproductional characteristics in eleven species of two genera belonging to the family of Asparagaceae, which are Bellevalia Lapeyrouse, 1808 and Ornithogalum Linnaeus, 1753 and the species are: Bellevalia chrisii Yildirim and Sahin, 2014; Bellevalia flexuosa Boissier, 1854; Bellevalia kurdistanica Feinbrun, 1940; Bellevalia longipes Post, 1895; Bellevalia macrobotrys Boissier, 1853; Bellevalia paradoxa Boissier, 1882; Bellevalia parva Wendelbo, 1973; Bellevalia saviczii Woronow, 1927; Ornithogalum brachystachys C. Koch, 1849; Ornithogalum neurostegium Boissier, 1882 and Ornithogalum pyrenaicum Linnaeus, 1753. These species were identified and compared with each other; the results showed th

Spergularia iraqensis sp. nov. is described as a new species from Iraq. This species has been collected from Diyala Province in the central east of Iraq; it is closely related to Spergularia rubra (L.) J. Presl & C. Presl, 1819 and Spergularia bocconei (Scheele) Graebn., 1919.
The distinguishing of the morphological characteristics of the new species alongside the two similar species are discussed with photographs, and an identification key is given for Spergularia iraqensis and other closely related species.

Abstract Background: Multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) often contaminate hospital environment and cause serious illnesses. Quorum Sensing (QS) regulates a variety of downstream cellular processes, including antibiotics resistance mechanisms and biofilm formation, and causes harm to the host. This study investigates antibacterial susceptibility and biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria in hospital environment. Methods: Hundred bacterial isolates were collected from various environments in the Medical City hospital. The antimicrobial susceptibility technique was evaluated through disk diffusion method. Next, biofilms formation was detected by the microliter plate assay. Finally, PCR was used to analyze the frequency of QS system gene

In this work, corrosion parameters were evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization curves. In order to determine corrosion parameters of potential and current density of the interesting metal, carbon steel, environmental conditions of external corrosion of buried carbon steel pipeline in Iraqi soil were prepared in the laboratory using simulated prepared conditions. Solutions of sodium chloride at different concentrations (300, 1100, 1900, 2700, and 3500 ppm) were used. pH of solution were acidic at pH =5, and alkaline at pH = 9. Laboratory conditions were similar to those of Iraqi soil where the pipelines were buried. Temperature was constant at 20 °C. Potentiodynamic polarization curves, of potential vs. log current density, were ob

This study investigated the impact of lime stabilization on the fate and transformation of AgNPs. It also evaluated the changes in the population and diversity of the five most relevant bacterial phyla in soil after applying lime-stabilized sludge containing AgNPs. The study was performed by spiking an environmentally relevant concentration of AgNPs (2 mg AgNPs/g TS) in sludge, applying lime stabilization to increase pH to above 12 for two hours, and applying lime-treated sludge to soil samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the morphological and compositional changes of AgNPs during lime stabilization. After the application of lime stabilized sludge to

Pollen morphology characterization is an important field in taxonomy. This study aims to identify and characterize the pollen morphology for fourteen species from subfamily Caesalpiniodeae (Fabaceae). The results showed the similarity of all species pollen in terms of being monad and tri,zono-colporate type, and each Ceratonia siliqua and Senna occidentalis distinguished by having tetra,zono-colporate pollen as well, and the results revealed the prevalence of reticulate configuration in most studies species, while Ceratonia siliqua characterized by striates configuration, Cassia fistula distinguished by verrrucate-gemmate wall, and Senna species by verrrucate- perforate, as for the shape, showed a discrepancy in the general shape fr

A total of 60 species of aquatic oligochaetes were identified in different sites within Tigris-Euphrates basin / Iraq, including River Tigris, River Euphrates, Southern marshes ( Al-Haweiza , Al-Hammar and Al-Chebaiesh ) , Shutt Al-Germa, and Shatt Al-Arab. In River Euphrates 39 species were identified, 40 species from River Tigris and 32 species from Shatt-Al-Arab and southern marshes.The identified species were classified as four species of Family Aeolosomatidae, 54 species of Naididae ( 31 Naidinae , 8 Pristininae and 15 Tubificid worms), one species of each of Lumbriculidae ( Lumbriculus variegates ) and Lumbricidae ( Eiseiella tetraedra). Among Aeolosomatidae , Aelosoma aquaternarium, A. Liedyi, A. variegatum and A. hemprichi