This study aimed to isolate and identify Cryptococcus species from three distinct sources: sputum samples of pigeon fanciers, dried pigeon droppings, and eucalyptus tree leaves. A total of 150 specimens were collected over a two-month period, comprising 50 samples each from human sputum, pigeon droppings collected across various areas of Baghdad, and eucalyptus leaves obtained from the Baghdad College of Veterinary Medicine. All samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol and incubated at 25°C for 2–3 days. From the initial cultures, 20 isolates presumptively identified as Cryptococcus spp. were obtained: 6 isolates (12%) from human sputum, 9 isolates (18%) from pigeon droppings, and 5 isolates (10%) from eucalyptus leaves, giving an overall recovery rate of 13.3%. Molecular identification using PCR was employed to detect two key virulence genes: CAP64 (associated with capsule formation) and LAC1 (involved in melanin production). These genes were detected in 13 out of 14 confirmed Cryptococcus isolates (92.85%). Specifically, 75% of C. neoformans isolates from human samples carried these genes, while the C. albidus isolate lacked them. All Cryptococcus isolates from pigeon droppings and eucalyptus leaves tested positive for both virulence genes (100%).
In this work, some mechanical properties of the polymer coating were improved by preparing a hybrid system containing Graphene (GR) of different weight percentages (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2wt%) with 5wt% carbon fibres (CF) and added to a polymer coating by using casting method. The properties were improved as GR was added with further improvement on adding 5wt% of CF. The impact strength of acrylic polymer with GR increases with increasing weight ratio of GR; maximum value was obtained when the polymer coating was incorporated with 1wt% GR and 5wt% CF. The impact strength of acrylic polymer with GR and GR/CF composites incorporated with GR at 1wt% and CF at 5wt%. Hardness increase with increasing weight ratio of Gr and a significant imp
... Show MoreBackground: Irrigation has a central role in endodontic treatment. Several irrigating solutions have the antimicrobial activity and actively kill bacteria and yeasts when introduced in direct contact with the microorganisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root and leaf extracts as possible irrigant solutions, used during endodontic treatments, and both were compared to Sodium hypochlorite, Propolis and Ethyl alcohol. Materials and Method: Forty seven human extracted single rooted teeth were selected. The teeth were decoronated using a diamond disk to have a length of 15 mm ±1 mm and they were instrumented using the hybrid technique. All roots were sterilized
... Show MoreThe influence and hazard of fire flame are one of the most important parameters that affecting the durability and strength of structural members. This research studied the influence of fire flame on the behavior of reinforced concrete beams affected by repeated load. Nine self- compacted reinforced concrete beams were castellated, all have the same geometric layout (0.15x0.15x1.00) m, reinforcement details and compressive strength (50 Mpa).
To estimate the effect of fire flame disaster, four temperatures were adopted (200, 300, 400 and 500) oC and two method of cooling were used (graduated and sudden). In the first cooling method, graduated, the tested beams were leaved to cool in air while in the seco
... Show MoreTin Selenide (SnSe) Nano crystalline thin films of thickness 400±20 nm were deposited on glass substrate by thermal evaporation technique at R.T under a vacuum of ∼ 2 × 10− 5 mbar to study the effect of annealing temperatures (as-deposited, 100, 150 and 200) °C on its structural, surface morphology and optical properties. The films structure was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) which showed that all the films have polycrystalline in nature and orthorhombic structure, with the preferred orientation along the (111) plane. These films was synthesized of very fine crystallites size of (14.8-24.5) nm, the effect of annealing temperatures on the cell parameters, crystallite size and dislocation density were observed.
... Show MoreThe issue of increasing the range covered by a wireless sensor network with restricted sensors is addressed utilizing improved CS employing the PSO algorithm and opposition-based learning (ICS-PSO-OBL). At first, the iteration is carried out by updating the old solution dimension by dimension to achieve independent updating across the dimensions in the high-dimensional optimization problem. The PSO operator is then incorporated to lessen the preference random walk stage's imbalance between exploration and exploitation ability. Exceptional individuals are selected from the population using OBL to boost the chance of finding the optimal solution based on the fitness value. The ICS-PSO-OBL is used to maximize coverage in WSN by converting r
... Show MoreVarious simple and complicated models have been utilized to simulate the stress-strain behavior of the soil. These models are used in Finite Element Modeling (FEM) for geotechnical engineering applications and analysis of dynamic soil-structure interaction problems. These models either can't adequately describe some features, such as the strain-softening of dense sand, or they require several parameters that are difficult to gather by conventional laboratory testing. Furthermore, soils are not completely linearly elastic and perfectly plastic for the whole range of loads. Soil behavior is quite difficult to comprehend and exhibits a variety of behaviors under various circumstances. As a result, a more realistic constitutive model is
... Show MoreBiomass is a popular renewable carbon source because it has a lot of potential as a substitute for scarce fossil fuels and has been used to make essential compounds like 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). One of the main components of biomass, glucose, has been extensively studied as a precursor for the production of HMF. Several efforts have been made to find efficient and repeatable procedures for the synthesis of HMF, a chemical platform used in the manufacturing of fuels and other high-value compounds. Sulfonated graphite (SG) was produced from spent dry batteries and utilized as a catalyst to convert glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Temperature, reaction time, and catalyst loading were the variables studied. When dimethyl sulfo
... Show MoreTo show the impact of 790-805 nm diode laser irradiations on wound healing as a supplementary treatment in women underwent episiotomies, and to assess the laser parameters that were used .Material and methods: Eighteen female patients were included in this study; all of them underwent mediolateral episiotomy. Ten patients received laser therapy- diode laser (K Laser) (790-805) nm in CW mode of operation (and eight patients were the control group. Spot size of 8mm, time for exposure for each spot was 30 seconds. The power used was 0.6 W .The power density for each spot of treatment was 1.19 W/cm2 per session (non contact mode of application of laser therapy).The group studied received 2 sessions of laser radiation, day 4, and day 8 after
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