This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in humans and detect Toxocara spp. in cats, with a focus on assessing the impact of age and gender on infection rates. Traditional diagnostic methods have historically limited the accurate identification of helminth infections in humans. Analysis of 450 human stool samples revealed an overall helminth infection rate of 5.7% using conventional techniques. The specific infection rates were 0.4% for Strongyloides stercoralis, 0.6% for Schistosoma mansoni, 1.7% for Hymenolepis nana, and 2.8% for Ascaris lumbricoides. Notably, no infections were recorded in the 30–39 and ≥40-year age groups, while the highest infection rate (16.3%, P≤0.01) was observed in individuals aged 20–29 years. With respect to gender, males exhibited a significantly higher (P≤0.01) infection rate (7.5%) compared to females (4%). Additionally, human sera were tested serologically using indirect ELISA for IgG antibodies, with a positivity rate of 10.4%. Age-wise, no positive cases were recorded in the 20–29 year group, while positivity rates of 8% and 24% were found in the 30–39 and >40 year groups, respectively, showing a significant difference (P≤0.01). In terms of gender, females had a significantly higher (P≤0.01) seroprevalence (15.2%) than males (6%). In domestic and stray cats, the overall prevalence of Toxocara spp. was 12%, with a significantly higher (P≤0.01) infection rate in kittens compared to adult cats. This study revealed notable prevalence of intestinal helminths in humans and Toxocara spp. in cats, with age and gender influencing infection rates. The findings emphasize the need for improved parasite control and public health measures to reduce zoonotic risks.
Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load
... Show MoreTillage tools are subject to friction and low-stress abrasive wear processes with the potential deterioration of the desired soil quality, loss of mechanical weed efficacy, and downtime for replacing worn tools. Limited experimental methods exist to quantify investigate the effect of wear-resistant coatings on shape parameters of soil-engaging tools. ASTM standard sand/rubber wheel abrasion and pin-on-disk tests are not able to simulate wear characteristics of the complex shape of the tillage tools. Even though the tribology of tillage tools can be realistic from field tests, tillage wear tests under field conditions are expensive and often challenging to generate repeatable engineeri
Flexible pavements are considered an essential element of transportation infrastructure. So, evaluations of flexible pavement performance are necessary for the proper management of transportation infrastructure. Pavement condition index (PCI) and international roughness index (IRI) are common indices applied to evaluate pavement surface conditions. However, the pavement condition surveys to calculate PCI are costly and time-consuming as compared to IRI. This article focuses on developing regression models that predict PCI from IRI. Eighty-three flexible pavement sections, with section length equal to 250 m, were selected in Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq, to develop PCI-IRI relationships. In terms of the quantity and severity of eac
... Show MoreA simple and accurate method to determinate furosemide (FUR) based on converting the secondary amine to primary amine with acidic hydrolysis then azotization by nitrous acid and coupled with resorcinol as a coupling agent in aqueous medium at pH 13. The optical characteristic like beers law limit found to be (0.25-2.5) μg.ml−1, detection and quantification limits (0.0196) (0.0654) μg.ml−1respectivly and Sandel sensitivity was 0.006738 μg.cm−2. The least-square method was used to evaluate the regression equation and the correlation coefficient. The resulted azo dye has a maximum absorbance at 430 nm with light oran
Neuro-ophthalmic disorders are often documented individually for each illness, with little data available on their overall incidence and pattern. The overall incidence of neuro-ophthalmic illnesses in Iraq is still not recorded. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, demographic, and etiological features of patients seeking consultation at an Iraqi neuro-ophthalmology clinic. A prospective cross-sectional observational research was conducted at the Janna Ophthalmic Center in Baghdad, Iraq. The center serves a diverse patient population from various governorates. All newly diagnosed patients with neuro-ophthalmic disorders who visited the neuro-ophthalmological clinic, regardless of gender or age group, were included. The neuro-ophthalmo
... Show MoreThe gas sensing properties of Co3O4 and Co3O4:Y nano structures were investigated. The films were synthesized using the hydrothermal method on a seeded layer. The XRD, SEM analysis and gas sensing properties were investigated for Co3O4 and Co3O4:Y thin films. XRD analysis shows that all films are polycrystalline in nature, having a cubic structure, and the crystallite size is (11.7)nm for cobalt oxide and (9.3)nm for the Co3O4:10%Y. The SEM analysis of thin films obviously indicates that Co3O4 possesses a nanosphere-like structure and a flower-like structure for Co3O4:Y.
The sen
... Show MoreThis paper investigates the experimental response of composite reinforced concrete with GFRP and steel I-sections under limited cycles of repeated load. The practical work included testing four beams. A reference beam, two composite beams with pultruded GFRP I-sections, and a composite beam with a steel I-beam were subjected to repeated loading. The repeated loading test started by loading gradually up to a maximum of 75% of the ultimate static failure load for five loading and unloading cycles. After that, the specimens were reloaded gradually until failure. All test specimens were tested under a three-point load. Experimental results showed that the ductility index increased for the composite beams relative to the refe
... Show MoreA modified chemical method was used to prepare titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), which were diagnosed by several techniques: X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, field emission scaning electron microscopy, energy disperse X-ray, and UV-visible spectroscopy, which proved the success of the preparation process at the nanoscale level. Where the titanium oxide particles have an average particle size equal to 6.8 nm, titanium dioxide particles were used in the process of adsorption of Congo red dye from its aqueous solutions using a batch system. The titanium oxide particles gave an adsorption efficiency of Congo red dye up to more than 79 %. The experimental data of the adsorption process were analyzed with kinetic models and
... Show MoreTo promote sustainable steel-concrete composite structures, it is essential to develop special shear connectors that facilitate accelerated construction and deconstruction. A lockbolt demountable shear connector (LBDSC) was recently proposed. While the LBDSC has been evaluated using horizontal and vertical (standard) push-out tests, it is essential to further assess the disassembly mechanism and the positive flexural performance of prefabricated demountable composite beams (PDCBs) under both serviceability and ultimate limit states. Two full-scale test specimens of PDCBs with LBDSC were designed with partial shear connections and assessed using a three or four-point load beam setup under both cyclic and static monotonic loading conditions.
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