Birds of prey (Raptors) are top predator avian species that many migrate annually through Mesopotamian marshes in southern Iraq toward their wintering grounds in Arabia and Africa, while others are breeding residents; however, information on their current status is scarce. From January 2016 to April 2019, a total of 20 field expeditions were conducted in the geographical zone of the Mesopotamian marshes, wetlands of international importance. The survey covered the Central Marshes, Al-Hammar and Hawizeh Marsh. One of the objectives of the field surveys is to list the raptors species that wintering and/or migrating through the Mesopotamian marshes and to understand their current spatial and temporal distribution. In the present study, a total of 32 species of diurnal raptors are recorded through intensive field observations, reviewing literature records, and personal communications of unpublished data. Moreover, eight species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Red List are recorded which highlight the ecological importance of the Mesopotamian marshes as a major stopover site for globally threatened raptors. Besides species persecution, observed threats such as habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution were severely influencing birds of prey communities in the Mesopotamian marshes which warrant further conservation actions.
The growing demand for sustainable and high-performance asphalt binders has prompted the exploration of waste-derived modifiers. This study investigates the performance enhancement of Natural Asphalt (NA) using Sugarcane Molasses (SM) and Waste Engine Oil (WEO). The modified blends were prepared by partially replacing 50 % NA with varying proportions of SM and WEO ranging from 10 % to 40 % of the total weight of NA. Comprehensive testing was conducted, including penetration, softening point, ductility, viscosity, Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that
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In this work, composite materials were prepared by mixing different concentrations of ferrites with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer. Using the electrospinning technique, these composites were deposited on a p-type silicon wafer. The prepared samples demonstrated nanofibers in both pure PAN polymers and their composites with ferrite. Prior to examining the humidity sensing effectiveness with a percentage of relative humidity at a frequency of 10 kHz, based on ambient temperature and a relative humidity range of 50–100%, the composite nanofibers demonstrated stronger humidity sensing compared to the pure PAN nanofibers, which demonstrated a powerful resistance response. More precisely, the PAN@ferrite nanocomposite showed a broad adsorption
... Show MoreOver the past few decades, the health benefits are under threat as many commonly used antibiotics have become less and less effective against certain illnesses not only because many of them produce toxic reactions but also due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. The clinical use of a combination of antibiotic therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is probably more effective than monotherapy. The present study aims to estimate the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of Conocarpus erectus leaves extracts against multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa isolated from different hospitals in Baghdad city. One hundred fifty different clinical specimens were collected from patients from September 2021 to January 2022. All samples were
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen and a model bacterium for studying virulence and bacterial social traits. While it can be isolated in low numbers from a wide variety of environments including soil and water, it can readily be found in almost any human/animal-impacted environment. It is a major cause of illness and death in humans with immunosuppressive and chronic conditions, and infections in these patients are difficult to treat due to a number of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the organism’s propensity to form multicellular biofilms. One hundred twenty clinical samples and forty hospital environmental samples (various sources) were collected from hospitals in Baghdad city during the period from Oc
... Show MoreZnS:Ce3+ nanoparticles were prepared by a simple microwave irradiation method under mild condition. The starting materials for the synthesis of ZnS:Ce3+ quantum dots were zinc acetate (R & M Chemical) as zinc source, thioacetamide as a sulfur source, cerium chloride as cerium source and ethylene glycol as a solvent. All chemicals were analytical grade products and used without further purification. The quantum dots of ZnS:Ce3+ with cubic structure were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), the morphology of the film is seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also by field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and XRD. Upon exposure to 460 nm light at zero bias voltage, ZnS:Ce3+/p-Si showed a high sensitivity of 4000% an
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