Microbiological contamination by fungi impacts the quality and safety of wheat grain storage. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of cold plasma in restricting the growth of the fungus, Aspergillus niger, which was isolated from wheat grains. A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operating at atmospheric pressure generated cold plasma that was used to treat the fungus, and the impact of this treatment was investigated at various periods 1, 2, 4, 6, and 15 minutes. The results revealed a highly significant decrease in the growth and number of spores of Aspergillus niger compared to the controls. This study revealed an efficient technique for enhancing wheat grain storage that could be a foundation for further large-scale studies.
The effect of heat treatment using different annealing temperatures on optical properties of bulk heterojunction blend (BHJ) Alq3: C60 thin films which are fabricated by the spin coating technique were investigated in this study. The films have been coated on a glass substrate with speed of 2000 rpm for one min and treated with different annealing temperature (373, 423 and 473) K under vacuum. The optical properties and the chemical bonds structure of blends as-deposited and heat treated have been studied by UV-Vis spectroscopic and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FTIR) measurements respectively. The results of UV visible show that the optical energy gap decreasing with increasing the annealing temperature for the ratio (100:1) while decrea
... Show MoreLow- and medium-carbon structural steel components face random vibration and dynamic loads (like earthquakes) in many applications. Thus a modification to improve their mechanical properties, essentially damping properties, is required. The present study focuses on improving and developing these properties, significantly dampening properties, without losing the other mechanical properties. The specimens used in the present study are structural steel ribbed bar ISO 6935 subjected to heating temperatures of (850, 950, and 1050) ˚C, and cooling schemes of annealing, normalizing, sand, and quenching was selected. The damping properties of the specimens were measured experimentally with the area under the curve for the loadi
... Show MoreAntibacterial Activity of Bioactive Glass 45S5 and Chitosan Incorporated as Fillers into Gutta Percha, Ahmed I AL-Jobory*, Raghad AL-Hashimi
Objective: Synthesized a series of new thiourea (TU) derivatives, tested their antioxidant activity, and investigated their expected biological activity by theoretical study (computational methods). Methods: The derivatives were made using a one-pot reaction with two steps. Initially, succinyl chloride was mixed with KSCN to make succinyl isothiocyanate. Then, primary and secondary amines were used to make TU derivatives. The theoretical studies were done by Swiss ADME and molecular docking via Genetic Optimization of Linkage Docking (GOLD). Then evaluate antioxidant activity using the DPPH scavenging method. Results: FT-IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy show the verification of all the prepared derivatives. Compounds (II), (VIII),
... Show MoreBackground: The gene responsible for encoding the protein of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) has been found to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in different ethnic populations. But the association of +49A/G CTLA-4 polymorphism with susceptibility of RA among Iraqi Arab populations has not yet been determined. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight patients were examined, 67 of them were males (mean age 54.71 ± 10.4 years), while 167 were examined for the control group, of whom 64 were males and the rest were females. CTLA-4 DNA genotyping was carried on to determine the +49 A/G (rs231775) polymorphism using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Enzyme-linked immuno
... Show MoreResearch on sustainable design in Iraqi craft industries and ways to develop them is essential to preserving the cultural heritage and authenticity of these industries while promoting environmentally sustainable practices. Lack of access to modern technologies, knowledge and resources may hinder the growth of these industries and their ability to compete in the global market. The research problem revolves around finding ways to develop sustainable design in the Iraqi craft industries. The expected outcomes of this research include a clear definition of sustainable design, understanding the history of sustainable design in the craft industry, identifying different types of craft industries in Iraq, exploring the basic concepts of sustaina
... Show MoreIn this work, 332 Al alloy was prepared and reinforced with (0.5% and 1%) nano-Al2O3 particles. The prepared unreinforced and reinforced 332 Al alloy with nano-Al2O3 were solution heat treated (T6) at 510 ̊C and aged at 225 ̊C with different times (1, 3, and 5 h). Hardness test was performed on all the prepared alloys. All prepared alloys were dry slided under different applied loads (5, 10, 15, and 20 N) against steel counterface surface using pin on disk apparatus. The results showed that refinement effect was observed after addition of nano-Al2O3 particles and a change in silicon morphology after performing the solution heat treatment. The results also showed that har
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to evaluate tensile properties of low and medium carbon ferrite -martensite dual phase steel, and the effect cryogenic treatment at liquid nitrogen temperature (-196 ºC) on its properties. Low carbon steel (C12D) and medium carbon steels (C32D & C42D) were used in this work. For each steel grade, five groups of specimens were prepared according to the type of heat treatment. The first group was normalized, the second group was normalized and subsequently subjected to cryogenic treatment then tempered at (200 ºC) for one hour, the third group was quenched from intercritical annealing temperature of (760 ºC) to obtain dual phase (DP) steel, the fourth and fifth groups were both quenched from (760 ºC), but
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is the detection of heavy metals using (Inductively coupled Plasma ICP) for samples in Tigris river at intakes of water treatment plants Baghdad (Sharq dejla, Al-Wathba, Al-Wahda, and Al-Dora) and samples at Tigris banks near (Al-Adhamya, Al-Shuhda bridge and al-Jadrya).
All the recorded results were fitted with Iraqi standers No. 25 in 1967 for all samples with heavy metals (arsenic Ar, Cadmium Cd, Chromium Cr, Zinc Zn, Lead Pb, Copper Cu, Nickel Ni, Manganese Mn, Ferrous Fe) where all concentration were lower than standard values except Cadmium (0.01- 0.014) in plants intakes and (0.027- 0.048) in river samples while the standard value is (0.005).
Other tests such as chemical oxygen demand and oil &
Scientists are investigating the efficacy of different biosorbents for promoting economic and environmental viability in purifying contaminants. Among the primary by-products of biodiesel production is waste microalgae biomass, which has the potential to be used as a cheap biosorbent for the treatment of pollution. In the present study, the biomass left over after extracting the chlorella vulgaris was used to test the potential biosorption of CIP from simulated aqueous solutions. Bisorbent's ability was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Analysis with a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer revealed that C
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