BREEDING POTENTIAL OF RICE GENOTYPES IN TWO AGROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF SULAIMANI - KURDISTAN REGION - IRAQ

This study was aimed to investigate the genetic variability of 26 rice genotypes and evaluation at two locations in Sulaimani governorate, Gaba and Chawtan which were completely different in their environmental condition during the season of 2019. The performances of the genotypes were analyzed at both locations as well as the average of both. Simple coefficients of correlation were used to assess the grain yield components and their relationships. Path analysis was used to determine the direct and indirect effects of such components on grain yield plant-1. The genotypes were grouped based on the agro-morphological features using cluster analysis. Almost all of the traits at both locations and the average of both locations showed highly significant differences; Chawtan outperformed Gaba location for the traits no. of tillers plant-1, no. of panicle plant-1, 1000-grain weight, and plant-1 grain yield, whereas higher values were found for plant height and no. of grains panicle-1 for Gaba location. At both locations, there was a highly significant and positive association between the number of tillers and panicles in plant-1 and grain yield plant-1. The number of panicle plants-1 had the most favorable direct effects on grain yield at both locations. At both locations, the highest positive indirect effect on grain output was provided by the number of tillers plant-1 via the number of panicle plant-1. Based on the agro-morphological features, the rice genotypes were grouped into 5 clusters at both locations. At both locations, Cluster V gave better values regarding grain yield

Contrastive Rhetoric Study of Arabic and English Research Article Introductions

There were three main purposes of this study. First, the study was to find whether writers with diverse educational backgrounds would perform the same written task differently. Second, it was designed to identify the macrostructure/rhetorical organization of research article (RA) introductions written in Arabic by Arab scholars. The third purpose was to explore differences and similarities between Arabic RA introductions and English RA introductions produced by Americans who were native speakers of English. The corpus used in this study consisted of 15 research article introductions divided into three groups: Arab-educated Arabs (A-Ed-A, authors who earned their graduate degrees in the Arab World), US-educated Arabs (US-Ed-A, authors who earned their degrees in the United States, and US-Native English speaking group (US-N). Swales's (1990) CARS model was used as a tool of analysis. Comparisons were made among the three groups at two levels of analysis: the macrostructure level and the move-step level. The two Arabic groups were found different at the two levels of analysis: the macrostructure level and the move-step level. This result signified that there were two models of rhetorical organization of Arabic RA introductions: a homegrown model and a hybrid model. The homegrown exhibited features which were more distant from the US-N group than the US-Ed-A group which shared some US writing norms. In addition, both of the Arabic groups were different from their American counterpart. Arab authors claimed the importance of their research in the real world rather than in existing research tradition as was the case in the American group. Thus, educational background of Arab RA writers could account for the preference of the rhetorical organization model of RA introductions as the US-Ed-A writers employed a hybrid rhetorical organization and the A-Ed-A writers employed the homegrown model. In spite of the differences in the Arabic context, the norms of Arabic writing tolerate/embrace such diversity.English Departmen

Behavior of Abu-Jir Fault Zone in Al-Thirthar Valley and near Habbaniya Lake Areas – Comparative Study Using Seismic Reflection Sections

A comparative study of behavior of Abu-Jir fault zone in Al-Thirthar Valley and near Al-Habbaniya Lake areas has been carried out using seismic reflection sections. Interpretation of the seismic sections showed some similarities and differences in behavior of Abu-Jir Fault Zones in both areas. The seismic sections exhibit simple flower structure in the fault zone of both Al-Thirthar Valley and near Habbaniya Lake but the flower structure in later is simpler than the former. The fault zone in Al-Thirthar Valley behaves as blind fault, whereas it reaches to the Earth's surface near Habbaniya Lake. Abu-Jir Fault Zone near Habbaniya Lake is wider than that in Thirthar Valley area. Syn-rifting due to faulting and slightly thickening has begun within both areas; occur between Alan and Hartha reflectors in Thirthar area and between Alan and Dammam reflectors near Habbaniya Lake. Abu-Jir Fault Zone near Habbaniya Lake suffered to strike slip movement less than that in Thirthar Valley because it is far from the collision suture zone between Arabian plate and Turkish and Iranian plates

Design of very compact Combline Band-Pass Filter for 5G applications

NoIn this paper, a compact microstrip band-pass filter (BPF) covering the 3.4 to 3.8 GHz spectrum bandwidth for 5G wireless communications is presented. The planar filter uses three resonators, each terminated by a via to hole ground at one end and a capacitor at the other end with 50 Ω transmission line impedances for input and output terminals. The coupling between the lines is adjusted to resonate at the centre frequency with third-order band-pass Butterworth properties. The proposed combline filter is designed on an alumina substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 9.8 and a very small size of 9×5×1.2 mm3. The proposed filter is simulated and optimized using CST microwave studio software.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-722424, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant EP/E022936/

Effect of coating method on release of Glimepiride from porosity osmotic pump tablets (POPTs)

In this study, once-daily porosity osmotic pump tablets (POPTs) of Glimepiride were prepared using HPMC K100M (61%), osmotic agent (30% NaCl) coated using two different coating techniques spraying and dipping methods. The coating solution composed of ethyl   cellulose (7.5%) w\w in ethanol (90%), castor oil (2%) as water-insoluble plasticizer and Gingo red color (0.5% w\w). In both techniques, the coating level was adjusted to give a 10% increase in the weight of the tablets. The effect of the coating by dipping technique with an increase in the weight of tablet (10 %, 20% & 50%) was also investigated to see the effect coating level on the percentage of drug release from POPTs. The results of the in vitro release of Glimepiride from tablets coated by the spraying method showed longer release time (24 hrs) than those coated with dipping method. On the other hand, increasing the coating level by dipping method retarded the release of the drug from tablets. However, the same retardation effect on release as shown with the spraying technique was only obtained by increasing the coating level with a 50% increase in the weight of the tablet. Thus, coating by spraying is more efficient to prepare POPTs to give a continuous release of Glimepiride from once daily table with the lowest increase in the total weight of the tablet. 

Recent developments of reconfigurable antennas for 4G and 5G wireless communications: A survey

YesReconfigurable antennas play important roles in smart and adaptive systems and are the subject of many research studies. They offer several advantages such as multifunctional capabilities, minimized volume requirements, low front-end processing efforts with no need for a filtering element, good isolation, and sufficient out-ofband rejection; these make them well suited for use in wireless applications such as fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) mobile terminals. With the use of active materials such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), varactor or p-i-n (PIN) diodes, an antenna’s characteristics can be changed through altering the current flow on the antenna structure. If an antenna is to be reconfigurable into many different states, it needs to have an adequate number of active elements. However, a large number of high-quality active elements increases cost, and necessitates complex biasing networks and control circuitry. We review some recently proposed reconfigurable antenna designs suitable for use in wireless communications such as cognitiveratio (CR), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), ultra-wideband (UWB), and 4G/5G mobile terminals. Several examples of antennas with different reconfigurability functions are analyzed and their performances are compared. Characteristics and fundamental properties of reconfigurable antennas with single and multiple reconfigurability modes are investigated.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-722424

New Radiation Pattern-Reconfigurable 60-GHz Antenna for 5G Communications

Reconfigurable beam steering using circular disc microstrip patch antenna with a ring slot is proposed. The overall dimension of the antenna is 5.4 × 5.4 mm2 printed on 0.504 mm thick, RT5870 substrate with relative permittivity 2.3 and loss tangent 0.0012. The designed antenna operates at the expected 60 GHz 5G frequency band with a central coaxial probe feed. Two NMOS switches are utilized to generate three different beam patterns. Activating each switch individually results in a 70° shift in the main beam direction with constant frequency characteristics. The power gain is 3.9–4.8 dB in the three states of switch configurations. Simulated results in terms of return loss, peak gains and radiation pattern are presented and show good performance at the expected 60 GHz band for 5G applications

Effect of powdered seed of Nigella sativa administration on sub-chronic and chronic lead acetate induced hemato-biochemical and histopathological changes in Sprague Dawley rats

Lead acetate (PbAC) toxicity can occur by either ingestion or inhalation from contaminated surfaces or from the environment. Nigella sativa is a natural product with immense pharmacological properties, which include antioxidant, antibacterial, and antianemia properties. It has been showed to counter the effect of PbAC-induced hematological and biochemical changes in short-term studies. This study hypothesized that the N. sativa (NS) administration will ameliorate the deleterious effects of chronic PbAC toxicity in rats. A total of 75 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups of 25 rats, and each group was further sub-divided into five groups of five rats each. Group 1 rats (negative control) were given distilled water, group 2 (positive control; PC) were given 10 mg/kg of lead acetate (PbAC) daily, and groups 3 (T1), 4 (T2), and 5 (T3) were each given 10 mg/kg of PbAC followed by graded concentrations of powdered seeds of NS; 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Five rats in each group were euthanized at 30, 60, and 90 days for collection of whole blood and selected organs. Whole blood was collected after euthanized via cardio puncture and used to evaluate the complete blood profile, while plasma was used for biochemical analysis. Tissue samples of the liver and kidney were fixed with 10% buffered formalin, processed, and stained with H&E and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) for the liver. Aggression and fear were increased in the PbAC-exposed group and absent in the T3 group. There was a lower (p < 0.05) red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and lymphocyte count in the PC and T1 groups only. Biochemical analysis revealed elevated (p < 0.05) liver enzyme and creatinine levels in the PC and T1 groups on day 90 for AST and day 30 for ALT and creatinine. The level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was higher (p < 0.05) in the PC at 30 and 60 days of sampling. Other parameters, such as WBCs, prothrombin, urea, and cholesterol, were not significant in all groups. Histopathological lesions in the liver and kidneys were more severe in the PC and T1 groups, while the T2 and T3 groups showed mild lesions resulting from N. sativa administration. There was a decrease (p < 0.05) in the total PAS-stained area signifying glycogen depletion in the PC, T1, and T2 groups at 60 days and a higher distribution of the PAS-stained areas (p < 0.05) in the T3 group. At 90 days, the PC group had a lower (p < 0.05) distribution of PAS-stained areas in comparison to the other groups. The results showed the therapeutic potential of N. sativa extract in modulating both hematological and biochemical alterations induced by chronic lead acetate administration in rats

Enhancing extractive text summarization using natural language processing with an optimal deep learning model

Natural language processing (NLP) performs a vital function in text summarization, a task targeted at refining the crucial information from the massive quantity of textual data. NLP methods allow computers to comprehend and process human language, permitting the development of advanced summarization methods. Text summarization includes the automatic generation of a concise and coherent summary of a specified document or collection of documents. Extracting significant insights from text data is crucial as it provides advanced solutions to end-users and business organizations. Automatic text summarization (ATS) computerizes text summarization by decreasing the initial size of the text without the loss of main data features. Deep learning (DL) approaches exhibited significant performance in abstractive and extractive summarization tasks. This research designed an extractive text summarization using NLP with an optimal DL (ETS-NLPODL) model. The major goal of the ETS-NLPODL technique was to exploit feature selection with a hyperparameter-tuned DL model for summarizing the text. In the ETS-NLPODL technique, an initial step of data preprocessing was involved to convert the input text into a compatible format. Next, a feature extraction process was carried out and the optimal set of features was chosen by the hunger games search optimization (HGSO) algorithm. For text summarization, the ETS-NLPODL model used an attention-based convolutional neural network with a gated recurrent unit (ACNN-GRU) model. Finally, the mountain gazelle optimization (MGO) algorithm was employed for the optimal hyperparameter selection of the ACNN-GRU model. The experimental results of the ETS-NLPODL system were examined under the benchmark dataset. The experimentation outcomes pointed out that the ETS-NLPODL technique gained better performance over other methods concerning diverse performance measures