This experiment was carried out at the Field of Poultry, Department of Animal Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad, during the period from 1/5/2011 until 5/7/2011 to study the effect of adding arginine to laying hens diet on certain blood traits. A total of 100 Brown Lohmann laying hen chickens, 38 weeks of age, were randomly distributed into four treatment groups, with 25 hens for each treatment. Treatment groups were: T1: bird-fed diet with no additional arginine (control group); T2, T3, and T4: bird-fed diet supplemented with 0.4, 0.7, and 0.9%, respectively. Therefore, the total amounts of arginine in the four treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4) become 1.1, 1.5, 1.8, and 2.0%, respectively. Results of this experiment revealed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatment groups regarding the total red blood cell count (RBC) as well as with respect to hemoglobin concentration (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV). It was also noticed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatment groups concerning each of mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Moreover, the results of this study also indicated that supplementing laying hens with different levels of arginine (T2, T3, and T4) resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) in total white blood cell count (WBC) and percentage of heterophil (H) cells and a significant decrease (p<0.05) in lymphocyte (L) cells, monocyte cells, and H/L ratio as compared with the control group (T1). In conclusion, adding arginine to the diet of laying hens at levels higher than the levels recommended by the NRC did not have a negative effect on the physiological performance of birds, as indicated by the non-significant differences between treatment groups as regards RBC, PCV, Hb, MCV, MCH, and MCHC. However, supplementing arginine to the diet of laying hens resulted in an enhancement of the immune response, as indicated by a significant increase in WBC in comparison with the control group. On the other hand, adding arginine to laying hens diet didn’t cause any stress on birds, as indicated by the significant decrease in H/L ratio as compared with the control group.
Background: Osteoporosis is denoted by low bone mass and microarchitectural breakdown of bone tissue, directing to increased fracture risk and bone fragility. Fractures may lead to a decreased quality of life and increased medical costs. Thus, osteoporosis is widely considered a significant health concern.
Objective. This study aimed to compare quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DXA) to detect osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Subjects and Methods. We measured spinal volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) with QCT and areal spinal and hip BMD with DXA in 164 postmenopausal women. We calculated the osteo
... Show MoreLaboratory model tests were performed to investigate the behavior of shallow and inclined skirted foundations placed on sandy soil with R.D%=30 and the extent of the impact of the positive and negative eccentric-inclined loading effect on them. To achieve the experimental tests, it was used a box of (600×600) mm cross-sectional and 600mm in height and a square footing of (50*50) mm and 10 mm in thickness attached to the skirt with Ds=0.5B and various an angle of (10°, 20°, 30°). The results showed that using skirts leads to a significant improvement in load-carrying capacity and decreased settlement. In addition, when the skirt angle increased, the ultimate load improved. Load-carrying capacity decreased with increasing eccentri
... Show MorePolymer electrolyte films composed of PVP and PVP/glycerin with varying concentrations of CuCl2 (10, 20, and 30 wt.%) were synthesized using the solution casting method. The synthesized electrolyte films were characterized using FTIR, XRD, UV-Vis, DSC, and TGA techniques. FTIR spectroscopy revealed an O-H stretching vibration of PVP around 3300 cm(-1), which experienced broadening and a reduction in intensity upon the introduction of glycerin and CuCl2. XRD analysis displayed a characteristic peak at 2 theta similar to 20 degrees, with the peak shifting towards higher angles and a slight decrease in intensity as the CuCl2 concentration increased, indicating a disruption of the crystalline structure of the host matrix. UV-Vis analysis reveal
... Show MoreThis study investigates the impact of copper sulfate (CuSO4) doping and glycerin plasticization on the structural, electrical, dielectric, and optical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and glycerin gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs). The GPEs were prepared using a solution casting method with varying CuSO4 concentrations (5 and 10 wt.%). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the semi-crystalline nature of the polymer blend and also confirmed the presence of CuSO4. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the miscibility of PVA, PVP, and glycerin through interchain hydrogen bonding and indicated the successful incorporation of Cu2+ ions into the polymer blend matrix. The PVA/PVP/glycerin blend containi
... Show MoreLittle is known about hesitancy to receive the COVID‐19 vaccines. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general population regarding the COVID‐19 vaccines, (2) to evaluate factors influencing the acceptance of vaccination using the health belief model (HBM), and (3) to qualitatively explore the suggested intervention strategies to promote the vaccination.
This was a cross‐sectional study based on electronic survey data that was collected in Iraq during December first‐19th, 2020. The electronic surve