EVALUATING WATER QUALITY INDEX OF AL HAMMAR MARSH, SOUTH OF IRAQ WITH THE APPLICATION OF GIS TECHNIQUE

This study concerns the water quality index of the Al Hammar marsh. The water quality of station M1, also termed Al-Hamedy, located in the middle of the marsh and related to the Al-Basra governorate, was evaluated from 2011 to 2015, using 12 selected parameters. The parameters include pH, Phosphate (PO4), Nitrate (NO3), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Total hardness (TH), Sodium (Na), Sulphate (SO4), Chloride (Cl), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Alkalinity (Alk.) and Electrical conductivity (EC). The Arithmetic Weighted Index was employed to ascertain the water quality index (WQI) in the Al-Hammar marsh. The findings from this research have been linked to the ArcGIS 10.4.1 software, to produce layers that represent the nature of the spatial distribution of the WQIs, as coloured maps. The results revealed that the marsh quality fell below the class of poor water quality, and the marsh water was brackish due to the high concentration of totally dissolved solids flowing in from the estuaries of the feeding channels coming from the river Euphrates, as well as from the tidal phenomenon via river Shatt Al-Arab

Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial studies of some new tellurated azo compounds

<p>A series of tellurated azo compounds [<i>i.e</i>. (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)TeBr₃ and (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)₂TeBr₂, where Ar=5-BrC₆H₃, 5-CH₃C₆H₃ and 5-NO₂C₆H₃] were prepared by the reaction of the corresponding 2-(4-hydroxyphenylazo)aryl mercury chloride with tellurium tetrabromide in 1:1 and 2:1 mole ratio, respectively in dry dioxane as a solvent. The reduction of (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)TeBr₃ by hydrazine hydrate gave the corresponding ditelluride (<i>i.e</i>., (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)₂Te₂). Treatment of (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)₂TeBr₂ with hydrazine hydrate afforded the corresponding tellurides, (4-HOC₆H₄N=N-Ar)₂Te), in good yields. The structures of all newly synthesized compounds were assigned on the basis of their elemental and spectroscopic data. The antibacterial activity of tellurated azo compounds along with mercurated azo compounds was tested with agar diffusion method against the bacteria strains <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The antibacterial activities of tellurated azo compounds were in some cases equal or better than those of the reference drug. The mercurated azo compounds were found to be the more antibacterial activity of than those of tellurated azo compounds.</p

Argus II retinal prosthesis for retinitis pigmentosa in the Middle East: The 2015 Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Gradle Lecture

Background: To describe the outcomes of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who received the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System. Methods: This retrospective, interventional case series evaluated 10 consecutive patients who received the Argus II retinal implant and underwent visual function tests with the system on and system off. The main outcome measures were safety (the number, seriousness, and relatedness of adverse events), and visual function measured by computer-based objective tests, including square localization (SL) and direction of motion (DOM). Secondary measures included functional vision performance, including orientation and mobility (O&amp;M) tasks. Results: There were no intraoperative complications and all prostheses remained implanted at the end of follow up. The mean patient age was 41.3&nbsp;years; mean duration of the implant in vivo was 2.1&nbsp;years. One patient had a suture exposure over the coil suture tab and over the inferior case suture tab at 2&nbsp;years postoperatively, which was managed successfully. One patient developed mild vitreous hemorrhage that resolved spontaneously. One patient developed high intraocular pressure postoperatively due to a tight scleral band (SB) that was managed successfully. Patients performed significantly better with the Argus II system on than off on all tasks. Conclusion: Patients who received the Argus II had a safety profile out to 4&nbsp;years post-implantation that was markedly better than that observed in the pre-approval phase of the Argus II. In this population of RP patients, the Argus II retinal prosthesis provided useful visual function over several years that likely translates into improved quality of life. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier, NCT00407602