Anthropogenic activities cause soil pollution with different serious pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) compounds. This study assessed the contamination of PAHs in soil samples collected from 30 sites divided into eight groups (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in Basrah city-Iraq during 2019-2020. The soil characteristics including (moisture, pH, EC and TOC) were measured. Results showed the following ranges (soil moisture (0.03-0.18%),pH (6.90-8.16), EC (2.48-104.80) mS/cm and TOC (9.90-20.50%)). Gas Chromatography (GC) was used to measure PAHs in extracted soil samples. The total PAH range (499.96 - 5864.86) ng/g dry weight (DW). The most dominant percentage of PAHs in (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in dry season were (BghiP 36% , Chy 29% ,BkF 26% , BaP 18% ,BghiP 27% , InP 40% , BbF 19% and BbF 12%) respectively, while in wet season the most dominant PAHs were (Pyr 22% , BbF 16%, BkF 32% , BbF 36% , BkF 38% , Pyr 26% , BbF 43% and Pyr 35%) respectively. According to some calculated ratios, the sources of PAHs in Basrah soil were mixed between petrogenic and pyrogenic origins. The soil is classified from weakly to heavily contaminated with PAHs.
Studies from our laboratory have shown that Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, can attenuate acute lung injury induced by Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB). In the current study, we investigated the role of THC on the metabolism of SEB-activated lymphocytes. To this end, we determined metabolic potential of SEB-activated lymphocytes treated with vehicle or THC by performing the Cell Mito Stress Test. The oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in THC-treated cells was decreased when compared to vehicle-treated group whereas the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) was similar in both the groups. Specifically, electron transport chain inhi
solation of candida spp. From cancer patients who suffered oral candidiasis due to immunodeficiency
An experimental program was conducted to determine the residual of composite Steel Beams-Reinforced Concrete (SB-RC) deck floors fabricated from a rolled steel beam topped with a reinforced concrete slab, exposed to high temperatures (fire flame) of 300, 500, and 700ºC for 1 hour, and then allowed to cool down by leaving them in the lab condition to return to the ambient temperature. The burning results showed that, by exposing them to a fire flame of up to 300ºC, no serious permanent deflection occurred. It was also noticed that the specimen recovered 93% of 19.2 mm of the deflection caused by burning. The recovered deflection of burned composite SB-RC deck floor at 500ºC was 40% of 77.9 mm of the deflection caused by burning with a res
... Show MoreOne of the challenging issues encountered during drilling operations is the lost circulation. Numerous issues might arise because of losses, such as wasting of time and higher drilling cost. Several types of lost circulation materials have been developed and are being used to limit mud losses and avoid associated issues. Each solution has benefits and drawbacks.
In this study, a core flooding test was performed to study the effectiveness of polyacrylamide (PAM) granular gel on the reduction of the circulation lost. One common type of fracture characteristic is fractures with tips, commonly known as partially open fracture (POF). However, PAM gel therapy in POFs received little attention in prior research. Models of partly open fra
... Show MoreIn this paper the nuclear structure of some of Si-isotopes namely, 28,32,36,40Si have been studied by calculating the static ground state properties of these isotopes such as charge, proton, neutron and mass densities together with their associated rms radii, neutron skin thicknesses, binding energies, and charge form factors. In performing these investigations, the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock method has been used with different parameterizations; SkM*, S1, S3, SkM, and SkX. The effects of these different parameterizations on the above mentioned properties of the selected isotopes have also been studied so as to specify which of these parameterizations achieves the best agreement between calculated and experimental data. It can be ded
... Show MoreThe university course timetable problem (UCTP) is typically a combinatorial optimization problem. Manually achieving a useful timetable requires many days of effort, and the results are still unsatisfactory. unsatisfactory. Various states of art methods (heuristic, meta-heuristic) are used to satisfactorily solve UCTP. However, these approaches typically represent the instance-specific solutions. The hyper-heuristic framework adequately addresses this complex problem. This research proposed Particle Swarm Optimizer-based Hyper Heuristic (HH PSO) to solve UCTP efficiently. PSO is used as a higher-level method that selects low-level heuristics (LLH) sequence which further generates an optimal solution. The proposed a
... Show MorePortland Cement is manufactured by adding 3% gypsum to clinker which is produced by grinding, pulverizing, mixing, and then burning a raw mix of silica, and calcium carbonate. Limestone is the main source of carbonates, while clay collected from arable land is the main source of silica. The marl in the Euphrates Formation was studied as an alternative to arable lands. Nine boreholes drilled and penetrated the marl layer in selected locations at the Kufa cement quarry. Forty-one samples of marl from boreholes and four samples of limestone from the closed area were collected. The chemical content of the major oxides and the hardness of the marl layer was very encouraging as a raw material for Portland Cement as they are SiO2 (17.60),
... Show MoreTreated effluent wastewater is considered an alternative water resource which can provide an important contribution for using it in different purposes, so, the wastewater quality is very important for knowing its suitability for different uses before discharging it into fresh water ecosystems. The wastewater quality index (WWQI) may be considered as a useful and effective tool to assess wastewater quality by indicating one value representing the overall characteristic of the wastewater. It could be used to indicate the suitability of wastewater for different uses in water quality management and decision making. The present study was conducted to evaluate the Al-Diwaniyah sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent quality based on wastewa
... Show MoreThe sensitivity of SnO2 nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide hybrid to NO2 gas is discussed in the present work using density functional theory (DFT). The SnO2 nanoparticles shapes are taken as pyramids, as proved by experiments. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) edges have oxygen or oxygen-containing functional groups. However, the upper and lower surfaces of rGO are clean, as expected from the oxide reduction procedure. Results show that SnO2 particles are connected at the edges of rGO, making a p-n heterojunction with a reduced agglomeration of SnO2 particles and high gas sensitivity. The DFT results are in