Motivated by the vital role played by transition metal nitride (TMN) composites in various industrial applications, the current study reports electronic properties, thermodynamic stability phase diagram, and vacancy formation energies of the plausible surfaces of NiAs and WC-type structures of δ3-MoN and δ-WN hexagonal phases, respectively. Low miller indices of various surface terminations of δ3-MoN and δ-WN namely, (100), (110), (111), and (001) have been considered. Initial cleaving of δ3-MoN bulk unit cell offers separate Mo and N terminations signified as δ3-MoN (100): Mo, δ3-MoN(100):N, δ3-MoN(111):Mo, δ3-MoN(111):Mo, and δ3-MoN(001):Mo. However, the (110) plane reveals mix-truncated with both molybdenum and nitrogen atoms i.e. δ3-MoN (110): MoN. Likewise, the δ-WN faces incur analogous surface terminations. Ab initio atomistic thermodynamic analyses predict that, N-terminated (111) and (100) slabs to be the most energetically favourable surface terminations amongst the explored surfaces of δ3-MoN and δ-WN, respectively. Evidenced by plotted density of states (DOS), bulk and surfaces of δ3-MoN and δ-WN display a metallic character. In terms of surface relaxation and reconstructions, most investigated surfaces experience mainly downward displacements of their topmost layers. Most notably, the relaxed Mo-termination in (111) and (100) surfaces of δ3-MoN demonstrate significant reconstructions resulted in the first layer to be solely truncated with nitrogen atoms instead of molybdenum in the un-relaxed geometry. Nevertheless, no surface reconstruction has been noticed in most of considered δ-WN configurations. Calculated Bader's electronic charges reveal charge transfer from Mo/W atoms to N atoms, largely retaining the ionic bond nature in their bulk phases. Finally, vacancy formation energy (VFE) calculations showed that introducing nitrogen vacancies through the surface is an endothermic process. Furthermore, the energy required to create a vacant cite in the inner layers differ than that needed in the outer layers. Nitrogen-terminated slabs hold the highest concentrations. Results from this study should be useful when studying the activation of doubly and triply bonded molecules such as N2 at surface vacancies.
The Vulnerable Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta (Gray, 1831) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) occurs in the Sub-Himalayan lowlands of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Little is known about its natural history, no studies have been conducted revealing its natural predators. In this study, a group of Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 (Passeriformes: Corvidae) was observed hunting and predating on an Indian Roofed Turtle carcass in the bank of river Kuakhai, Bhubaneswar, India. The first record of this predation behaviour is reported and substantiated by photographic evidence.
This study investigates the impact of spatial resolution enhancement on supervised classification accuracy using Landsat 9 satellite imagery, achieved through pan-sharpening techniques leveraging Sentinel-2 data. Various methods were employed to synthesize a panchromatic (PAN) band from Sentinel-2 data, including dimension reduction algorithms and weighted averages based on correlation coefficients and standard deviation. Three pan-sharpening algorithms (Gram-Schmidt, Principal Components Analysis, Nearest Neighbour Diffusion) were employed, and their efficacy was assessed using seven fidelity criteria. Classification tasks were performed utilizing Support Vector Machine and Maximum Likelihood algorithms. Results reveal that specifi
... Show MoreThe research included five sections containing the first section on the introduction o research and its importance and was addressed to the importance of the game of gymnastic and skilled parallel bars effectiveness and the importance of biochemical variables, either the research problem that there is a difference in learning this skill and difficulty in learning may be one of the most important reasons are falling and injury Has a negative impact on the performance and lack of sense of movement of is one of the obstacles in the completion of the skill and the goal of research to design a device that helps in the development of biochemical changes to skill of rear vault dismount with one-half twist on parallel bars in gymnastics . And the n
... Show MoreObjective: To determine the ability of uVDBP to discern SRNS from steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) in Iraqi children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled children with SRNS (n=31) and SSNS (n=32) from the pediatric nephrology clinic of Babylon Hospital for Maternity and Pediatrics over three months. Patients' characteristics in terms of demographics, clinical data, and urinary investigations were collected. Quantitative analysis of uVDBP levels was undertaken via a commercially available ELISA kit. Results: The median uVDBP values were significantly higher (p-value<0.001) in the SRNS group (median=10.26, IQR=5.91 μg/mL) than in the SSNS group (median=0.953, IQR=4.12 μg/mL). A negative correlati
... Show MoreAryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent ligand for AhR and a known carcinogen. While AhR activation by TCDD leads to significant immunosuppression, how this translates into carcinogenic signal is unclear. Recently, we demonstrated that activation of AhR by TCDD in naïve C57BL6 mice leads to massive induction of myeloid derived-suppressor cells (MDSCs). In the current study, we investigated the role of the gut microbiota in TCDD-mediated MDSC induction. TCDD caused significant alterations in the gut microbiome, such as increases in Prevotella and Lactobacillus, while decreasing Sutterella and Bacteroides. Fecal transplants from TCDD-treated
... Show MoreAbstract
This Research aims for harnessing critical and innovative thinking approaches besides innovative problem solving tools in pursuing continual quality improvement initiatives for the benefit of achieving operations results effectively in water treatment plants in Baghdad Water Authority. Case study has been used in fulfilling this research in the sadr city water treatment plant, which was chosen as a study sample as it facilitates describing and analyzing its current operational situation, collecting and analyzing its own data, in order to get its own desired improvement opportunity be done. Many statistical means and visual thinking promoting methods has been used to fulfill research task.
... Show More