The purpose of this paper is to evaluate neuromuscular fatigue among elite basketball players in the Iraqi Basketball League using surface electromyography (sEMG) with the Ultium EMG device and the MR3.18 program, and using the Wavelet analysis application with the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) method. The research sample included six advanced players from the Iraqi Elite League, aged (21.50 ±3.67) years, with a body mass of (80.50 ±11.71) kg, and a height of (189.00 ±7.75) cm. The research sample underwent a physical skill-exertion protocol that simulated the actual playing requirements of basketball, during which the electrical activity of the six selected muscles involved in performing the skill of shooting long-range three-point shots from outside the arc in the upper and lower limbs was measured. The anterior deltoid, the lateral triceps, the extensor carpi radialis, the flexor carpi radialis, the rectus femoris, and the lateral gastrocnemius represented these muscles. Forward fatigue was assessed in the three-point long-range shootingskill experienced before and after effort from low (15–45 Hz), through moderate (45–95 Hz) to high (95–400 Hz) frequency ranges. It was found that only one significant difference occurred in the rectus femoris muscle at high frequencies (p = 0.02, Cohen’s dz = 1.48), indicating significant neuromuscular fatigue associated with the muscle's high functional role in jumping, acceleration, deceleration, and while changing direction. The other muscles, however, did notdemonstrate statistically significant differences, although a small (to moderate) size of the traces was found, which could indicate that there has been reorganization of the neuromuscular activation strategy to compensate for performance. These results verify that CWT analysis is a sensitive and valid tool for dynamic, non-stationary, or cyclic sports activities, such as basketball, to estimate neuromuscular fatigue, and that it enhances understanding of task-specific muscle responses compared with other conventional spectral methods.
(5)
Dust storms are typical in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East; the frequency and severity of dust storms have grown dramatically in Iraq in recent years. This paper identifies the dust storm sources in Iraq using remotely sensed data from Meteosat-spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) bands. Extracted combined satellite images and simulated frontal dust storm trajectories, using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, are used to identify the most influential sources in the Middle East and Iraq. Out of 132 dust storms in Iraq during 2020–2023, the most frequent occurred in the spring and summer. A dust source frequency percentage map (DSFPM) is generated using ArcGIS so
... Show More
(6)
(7)
This study is to investigate the possibility of using activated carbon prepared from Iraqi date-pits (ADP) which are produced from palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as low-cost reactive material in the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for treating lead (Pb<sup>+2</sup>) from the contaminated groundwater, and then compare the results experimentally with other common reactive materials such as commercial activated carbon (CAC), zeolite pellets (ZP). Factors influencing sorption such as contact time, initial pH of the solution, sorbent dosage, agitation speed, and initial lead concentration has been studied. Two isotherm models were used for the description of sorption data (Langmuir and Freundlich). The maximum lead sorp
... Show More
(25)
(19)
In recent years, the search for economic and environmentally friendly alternatives has become a global necessity to achieve sustainability and preserve raw materials. From this concept, natural bitumen (NB) derived from sulphur springs is now one of the most promising alternative energy resources for many applications, especially in asphalt pavement construction. Its low price and abundance characterise NB since sulphur springs produce thousands of tonnes of NB annually and are used in very limited fields. Two main objectives were adopted for this work. The first objective is to examine the virgin NB properties from five sulphur springs and compare them with petroleum asphalt. The second objective is to enhance NB properties by appl
... Show More
(8)
(5)
The leaves and stems of the local Purslane plant ( Portulaca oleracea oleracea L. ) were used to preapare the extract of two types ( wet and dried extractions) the extracts were prepared by weighting of 60grams of the wet and the dried plant individually, then boiled in 500ml of distal water. Finally the volume was completed to1 liter, then we used these extracts to prepare of 8 types of the culture media contained basic, selective and enrichment media for growing a group of pathogenic bacteria. 8 types of bacteria were used for this purpose: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas flouresence, Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris. The stastica
... Show More
(17)
(3)
In this paper we proposed the method of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) determination of some essential trace elements in medicinal herbs and vitamin-mineral complexes at the level of 100-101 mg/ml. To increase sensitivity and selectivity of the determination we simple and effective approach based on the extraction of metal ions from aqueous solutions with chemically modified polyurethane foam sorbents followed by direct XRF analysis. The conditions of sorption preconcentration of Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions with modified sorbents were optimized. The proposed approach is used for the determination of trace elements in several kinds of medicinal herbs (coltsfoot leaves, nettle leaves and yarrow herb) and vitamin-mineral
... Show More
(1)
Background: A Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement (TMJID) is a disruption within the internal aspects of the TMJ in which the disc is displaced from its normal functional relationship with the mandibular condyle, after which the articular portion of the temporal bone causes joint dysfunction, joint sound, malocclusion, and locking of the mouth. Conservative and invasive techniques can be used for the treatment of TMJID. A platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is a simple, less invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of internal derangement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PRP injections in decreasing or eliminating pain, clicking, and limitation of mouth opening in patients with TMJID after th
... Show More
(1)
Highly Modified Asphalt (HiMA) binders have garnered significant attention due to their superior resistance to rutting, fatigue cracking, and thermal distress under heavy traffic loads and extreme environmental conditions. While elastomeric polymers such as Styrene- Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) have been extensively used in HiMA applications, the potential of plastomeric polymers, including Polyethylene (PE) and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), remains largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the performance of reference binder (RB) modified with plastomeric HiMA asphalt in comparison to SBS-modified binders and determine the optimal polymer dosage for achieving an optimal balance between rutting resistance and fatigue durability. The experi
... Show More
(7)
(7)