There are many aims of this book: The first aim is to develop a model equation that describes the spread of contamination through soils which can be used to determine the rate of environmental contamination by estimate the concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in soil. The developed model equation can be considered as a good representation for a problem of environmental contamination. The second aim of this work is to design two feed forward neural networks (FFNN) as an alternative accurate technique to determine the rate of environmental contamination which can be used to solve the model equation. The first network is to simulate the soil parameters which can be used as input data in the second suggested network, while the second network simulates to estimate the concentration of heavy metals. The third aim is to develop a conceptual theory of training stage of neural networks from the perspective of functional analysis and optimization methods. Within this formulation, learning means to solve a variational problem by minimizing a performance function associated to the neural network. The choice of the objective functional depends on the particular application. On the other side, we suggest modification of the performance function to improve the generalization of the suggested networks and to treat the early stopping and local minima problems. The fourth aim is to compare the performance of aforementioned algorithms with regard to predicting ability. Then applied the suggested technique to estimate the concentration of heavy metals such as: Copper(Cu), Lead(Pb), Cadmium(Cd), Cobalt(Co), Zinc(Zn) and Nickel(Ni) in Baghdad soils. First, sixty four soil samples were selected from a phytoremediated contaminated site located in some zones in Baghdad city (residential, industrial, commercial, agricultural and main roads). Second, a series of measurements were performed on the soil samples and analyzed measuring of concentrations for heavy metals using devices such as : Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP- MS) to get initial concentrations for those heavy metals. Third, simulate and train the suggested networks to get the concentration of heavy metals. The performance of the suggested networks was compared with the traditional laboratory inspecting using the training and test data sets. The results of this book show that the suggested networks trained on experimental measurements can be successfully applied to the rapid and accuracy estimation of concentration of heavy metals. Finally, we suggest some methods for the treatment of contaminated soil by using some herbal plants
The current study involves placing 135 boreholes drilled to a depth of 10 m below the existing ground level. Three standard penetration tests (SPT) are performed at depths of 1.5, 6, and 9.5 m for each borehole. To produce thematic maps with coordinates and depths for the bearing capacity variation of the soil, a numerical analysis was conducted using MATLAB software. Despite several-order interpolation polynomials being used to estimate the bearing capacity of soil, the first-order polynomial was the best among the other trials due to its simplicity and fast calculations. Additionally, the root mean squared error (RMSE) was almost the same for the all of the tried models. The results of the study can be summarized by the production
... Show MoreIn this work, seven soil samples were brought brought to study and analyses the element concentrations from different southern regions of Iraq using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. It has been documented as an atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) technique. Laser-induced plasma utilized to analyze elements in materials (gases, liquids, and solids). In order to analyze elements in materials (gases, liquids, and solid). The Nd: YAG laser excitation source at 1064 nm with pulse width 9 ns is used to generate power density of 5.5 x 1012 MW/mm2, with optical spectrum in the range 320-740 nm. From this investigation, the soil sample analysis of the southern cities of Iraqi, it is concluded that the rich soil element of P, Si,
... Show MoreInfluence of metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms upon soil-borne microscopic fungus Aspergillus terreus K-8 was studied. It was established that the metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms affect the enzymatic activity of the studied culture. Silver nanoparticles lead to a decrease in cellulase activity and completely suppress the amylase activity of the fungus, while copper nanoparticles completely inhibit the activity of both the cellulase complex and amylase. The obtained results imply that the large-scale use of silver and copper nanoparticles may disrupt biological processes in the soil and cause change in the physiological and biochemical state of soil-borne microorganisms as well.
The clayey soils have the capability to swell and shrink with the variation in moisture content. Soil stabilization is a well-known technique, which is implemented to improve the geotechnical properties of soils. The massive quantities of waste materials are resulting from modern industry methods create disposal hazards in addition to environmental problems. The steel industry has a waste that can be used with low strength and weak engineering properties soils. This study is carried out to evaluate the effect of steel slag (SS) as a by-product of the geotechnical properties of clayey soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on natural and stabilized soils. SS was added by 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20% to the soil.
... Show MoreHigh tunnels, or unheated plastic greenhouses, are becoming increasingly popular among organic vegetable growers across the United States. However, the intensive production typical of these systems presents soil health challenges, including salinization due to high fertilizer or compost inputs coupled with lack of rainfall to leach salts. Legume cover crops may improve soil health in high tunnels by reducing the need for external inputs, while adding organic matter. We tested the soil health effects of a winter hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop used to replace fertilizer N in an organic tomato cropping system in high tunnels. Studies were replicated across three sites differing in climate and soil type (Kansas, Kentucky, and Minne
... Show MoreThis study aimed at identifying the extent to which the social worker used the techniques of group discussion in the professional practice with the groups of school activity in the schools of Tubas governorate in light of some variables (gender, years of experience, academic qualification). The analytical descriptive method was used due to its suitability for the objectives of the study. A questionnaire was designed to collect data that included (30) items, distributed in three areas .The validity and reliability of the tool were verified and then distributed to the study sample.
The results of the study showed that the highest averages were in the discussion stage domain, where the pre-discussion stage was m
... Show MoreThis paper describes the geotechnical properties of Al-Ammarah soil of Ammarah city in Messan Governorate-southern parts of Iraq. Data and other information taken from numbers of geotechnical reports that performed under the supervision of Consulting Engineering Bureau of Baghdad University. This research is devoted to study the correlation between different physical properties such as (LL, PI, LI, n,t, e) with different mechanical properties such as (qu, cc, cs, SPT). The correlation is verified using simple regression analysis. From the regression results it was found that there is direct correlation between different parameters. By using the correlation-with some information- preliminary investigation stages and studies of any s
... Show MoreThis paper describes the geotechnical properties of Al-Ammarah soil of Ammarah city in Messan Governorate-southern parts of Iraq. Data and other information taken from numbers of geotechnical reports that performed under the supervision of Consulting Engineering Bureau of Baghdad University. This research is devoted to study the correlation between different physical properties such as (LL, PI, LI, n,t, e) with different mechanical properties such as (qu, cc, cs, SPT). The correlation is verified using simple regression analysis. From the regression results it was found that there is direct correlation between different parameters. By using the correlation-with some information- preliminary investigation stages and studies of any s
... Show MoreA study of taxonomic quality of soil algae was conducted with some environmental variables in three sites of local gardens (Kadhimiya, Adhamiya and Dora) within the governorate of Baghdad for the period from October 2016 to March 2017. The study identified 28 species belonging to 16 species in which the predominance of blue green algae (18 species) Followed by Bacillarophyta algae (7 species) and three types of Chlorophyta. The study showed an increase in species of Oscillatoria. The results showed no significant differences between sites in temperature, pH and relative humidity, while there were clear differences between sites for salinity and nutrient The study showed a difference of irrigation water quality and use of different fertilize
... Show More