Groundwater Potential Mapping of the Major Aquifer in Northeastern Missan Governorate, South of Iraq by Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and GIS

As a result of the increasing demand for water in recent years, particularly after the emergence of drought conditions in Iraq, water policies in neighboring countries and the need to expand the uses of water for the purpose of food security, there is a truly urgent need for reassessment of groundwater resources in the light of modern efficient techniques for better managing and protecting of the aquifer system. In this study an attempt was made to delineate groundwater availability zones for the major aquifer in northeast Missan governorate, south of Iraq using GIS and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) decision making technique. Because of the data lacking, a total set of four criteria/features believed to be influencing groundwater productivity in the area were selected and mapped to demarcate groundwater potential classes after assign appropriate weights using AHP. All thematic layers were integrated and analyzed in ArcGIS 9.3 software. The final groundwater potential map was produced by linear weighted combination technique. The delineated groundwater potential map was finally verified using the available abstraction rates of existing wells. The prediction accuracy of the developed model was 72%. The groundwater potential map of the study area reveals three distinct zones: high, moderate, and low groundwater availability. The areas covered by these zones were 1138, 554, and 157 km2 for low, moderate, and high zones, respectively. The results demonstrate that the groundwater resources in the study area require careful management and pumping extraction plans. The generated model will help as a guideline for designing a suitable groundwater exploration plan in the future and thereby help efficient planning of scare groundwater in the study area. Keywords: Groundwater, GIS, AHP, Missan governorate, Ira

The Influence Of Equal Channel Angular Pressing Angles On The Microstructure And Properties Of Al-Si-Mg Alloy [TA483. J91 2006 f rb].

Penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan sifat-sifat fizikal dan mekanikal aloi Al-Si-Mg melalui penghalusan struktur ira yang dihasilkan oleh kecacatan plastik lampau. The aim of this research is to improve the physical and mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg alloy by grain structure refinement produced by severe plastic deformation through equal channel angular pressing (ECAP)

Development and Validation of a Reversed-Phase HPLC Method for Determination of Elaidic Acid in Oils and Fats

A simple, precise, accurate, and selective method with low limit of quantitation (LOQ) was developed and validated for analysis of elaidic acid which is the predominant trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column, using mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v) containing 0.1% acetic acid, and using UV detection at 205 nm. This method was validated according to the requirements for new methods, which include accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), LOQ, linearity and range. The current method demonstrates good linearity over the range of 3-1000 mg L-1 of elaidic acid with r2 greater than 0.999. The recovery of elaidic acid in oils and fats ranges from 94.5 to 98.7%. The method is selective where elaidic acid is good separated from oleic acid and other components of fats and oils with good resolution. The method is also precise where the RSD of the peak areas of replicate injections of elaidic acid solution is less than 1%. The degree of reproducibility of the results obtained as a result of small deliberate variations in the method parameters and by changing analytical operators has proven that the method is robust and rugged

Development and Validation of a Reversed-Phase HPLC Method for Determination of Elaidic Acid in Oils and Fats

A simple, precise, accurate, and selective method with low limit of quantitation (LOQ) was developed and validated for analysis of elaidic acid which is the predominant trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column, using mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v) containing 0.1% acetic acid, and using UV detection at 205 nm. This method was validated according to the requirements for new methods, which include accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), LOQ, linearity and range. The current method demonstrates good linearity over the range of 3-1000 mg L-1 of elaidic acid with r2 greater than 0.999. The recovery of elaidic acid in oils and fats ranges from 94.5 to 98.7%. The method is selective where elaidic acid is good separated from oleic acid and other components of fats and oils with good resolution. The method is also precise where the RSD of the peak areas of replicate injections of elaidic acid solution is less than 1%. The degree of reproducibility of the results obtained as a result of small deliberate variations in the method parameters and by changing analytical operators has proven that the method is robust and rugged

Dental and Anaesthetic Challenges in a Patient with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of rare genetic disorders characterised by skin and mucous membrane fragility and systemic manifestations of variable severity. We report a case of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa in an 18-year-old male patient who presented to the Department of Oral Health at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2015 with recurrent dental pain and infections. Due to the poor dental status of the patient and anticipated operative difficulties due to microstomia and limited mouth opening, the patient underwent full dental clearance under general anaesthesia. This article discusses the dental and anaesthetic challenges encountered during the management of this patient and provides a brief literature review

Airfoil Boundary Layer Optimization Toward Aerodynamic Efficiency of Wind Turbines

This chapter describes the method of airfoil optimization considering boundary layer for aerodynamic efficiency increment. The advantages of laminar boundary layer expansion in airfoil of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blades are presented as well. The genetic algorithm (GA) optimization interfaced with the flow solver XFOIL was used with multi-objective function. The power performance of turbine with optimized airfoil was calculated by using blade element method (BEM) in software QBlade. The CFD simulation from OpenFOAM® with Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model showed the visualized airflow. The optimized airfoil shows enlarged laminar boundary layer region in all flow regime with a higher aerodynamic efficiency and the increased gliding ratio (GR). The power velocity and annual energy production (AEP) curves show the performance improvement of wind turbine with the optimized airfoil. The boundary layer thickness and skin-friction coefficient values support the decreased drag of the optimized airfoil. The smaller laminar separation bubbles and reduced stall regime of CFD simulations illustrate the desirable aerodynamics of the resulted airfoil

New proposed spherical slotted antenna covered by the layers of dielectric material and plasma

The operation of the new proposed spherical slotted antenna covered by layers of dielectric material and plasma was analyzed numerically in this paper. By utilizing the Integra-functional equations method, the optimum thickness of dielectric material layer and suitable conditions which improve the operation of this antenna are analyzed here by MATHCAD. The thickness of dielectric layer must not be less or more than λ/6. Furthermore, the authors propose manipulating the operation frequency to enable such antenna to work in most circumstances

Re-Building a nation-state

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis is a study of the development of post-war Iraq after the downfall of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. The thesis examines the actions and consequences of the coalition led by the United States to facilitate the re-construction of Iraq as a democratic nation-state. The thesis examines the geo-political, economic and ideological motivations behind the US actions in Iraq in order to explain why the coalition plans to reconstruct the country along the lines of a democratic nation-state have failed so profoundly. The thesis develops a typology of policies that lead to successful nation-state building in post-authoritarian and post-conflict scenarios and applies this typology to the actual policies implemented by the US-led coalition after the fall of Saddam in 2003. The thesis illustrates that many of the policies implemented by the coalition undermined successful nation-state building. These policies failed to ensure the security and stability of Iraq after the invasion and thereby hampered economic development. Rather than re-defining Iraqi nationhood in democratic terms, the implemented policies enshrined ethno-sectarian divisions in the political landscape and in the social fabric of Iraq. The new Iraqi state lacked a stable constitutional and legal foundation and a functioning judiciary to ensure the rule of law. Finally, the political order established by the US-led coalition is marred by partisan conflicts and Kurdish independence tendencies which weaken the central government and the operation of its various departments and further threaten the territorial integrity of the Iraqi state. The thesis argues – based on evidence gathered through a nation-wide survey, in-depth interviews with influential stakeholders in the public sectors and other material – that Iraq after 2003 has become a failed state

The Prevalence and Characteristics of Frequent Attenders in Primary Health Care in A'Dakhiliyah Governorate of Oman

Objectives: Frequent attenders (FAs) in general practice receive significant attention in primary care research due to the financial costs associated with the higher utilization of health care services. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of FAs in Oman by studying the overall rates of adult patient visits to primary health care centers (PHCs) and identify the characteristics of this group of patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study including all adults aged 18 years and above who visited general practitioner clinics at four selected PHCs in the A'Dakhiliyah governorate of Oman. Sociodemographic data and number of visits were extracted from the electronic medical records system. Results: A total number of 12 902 adult patients contributed to 42 425 patient visits, with the number of visits made by individual patients ranging from 1 to 62. FAs constituted 2.4% (n = 313) of the total subjects and made 5449 (12.8%) visits. The mean rate of visits per patient per year was 3.2, while the median was two visits. The overall rate of visits per day was more than two-times higher in females (79.6 per day) compared to males (36.6 per day) and was about five-times higher in female FA (12.3 vs. 2.6). Conclusions: FAs represent a small proportion of patients attending PHCs in Oman. The proportion of females was higher among FAs and they also contributed to a higher number of visits to PHCs