Economical and Structural Feasibility of Concrete Cellular and Solid Blocks in Kurdistan Region

Cellular concrete blocks are the major building materials in Kurdistan Region in Iraq. This study is carried out to check the economical and structural feasibility. The integrity of the blocks as well as its industrial production process compared with local and international standards. Recommendations for the concrete block production have been given in this paper. Samples from 10 local factories of total 60 blocks have been collected and tested at Koya University Laboratory. The carried out tests covered the dimensions, compression strength and water absorption of the samples. The results of this research study were compared with the requirements of the Iraqi and European specifications. They showed that the products of all factories do not fulfil the specified requirements. The dimensions of specimens exhibited relatively high deviations with no recommended tolerances for dimensions of the blocks. The results analysis showed that the weight of the 400x200x200mm block size was about 20-23 kg and the size of the represented voids was about 60% of the volume. This study made some regulatory recommendations to standardise the concrete block production in the region

Thresholds for adding degraded tropical forest to the conservation estate

Logged and disturbed forests are often viewed as degraded and depauperate environments compared with primary forest. However, they are dynamic ecosystems1 that provide refugia for large amounts of biodiversity2,3, so we cannot afford to underestimate their conservation value4. Here we present empirically defined thresholds for categorizing the conservation value of logged forests, using one of the most comprehensive assessments of taxon responses to habitat degradation in any tropical forest environment. We analysed the impact of logging intensity on the individual occurrence patterns of 1,681 taxa belonging to 86 taxonomic orders and 126 functional groups in Sabah, Malaysia. Our results demonstrate the existence of two conservation-relevant thresholds. First, lightly logged forests (68%) of their biomass removed, and these are likely to require more expensive measures to recover their biodiversity value. Overall, our data confirm that primary forests are irreplaceable5, but they also reinforce the message that logged forests retain considerable conservation value that should not be overlooked

Scholarly publishing depends on peer reviewers

The peer-review crisis is posing a risk to the scholarly peer-reviewed journal system. Journals have to ask many potential peer reviewers to obtain a minimum acceptable number of peers accepting reviewing a manuscript. Several solutions have been suggested to overcome this shortage. From reimbursing for the job, to eliminating pre-publication reviews, one cannot predict which is more dangerous for the future of scholarly publishing. And, why not acknowledging their contribution to the final version of the article published? PubMed created two categories of contributors: authors [AU] and collaborators [IR]. Why not a third category for the peer-reviewer?Scopu

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Heat transfer augmentation using nanofluids in an elliptic annulus with constant heat flux boundary condition

This work reports numerical simulation for three dimensional laminar mixed convective heat transfers at different nanofluids flow in an elliptic annulus with constant heat flux. A numerical model is carried out by solving the governing equations of continuity, momentum and energy using the finite volume method (FVM) with the assistance of SIMPLE algorithm. Four different types of nanofluids Al2O3, CuO, SiO2 and ZnO, with different nanoparticles size 20, 40, 60 and 80 nm, and different volume fractions ranged from 0% to 4% using water as a base fluid were used. This investigation covers a Reynolds number in the range of 200 to 1000. The results revealed that SiO2–Water nanofluid has the highest Nusselt number, followed by Al2O3–Water, ZnO–Water, CuO–Water, and lastly pure water. The Nusselt number increased as the nanoparticle volume fraction and Reynolds number increased; however, it decreased as the nanoparticle diameter increased. It is found that the glycerine–SiO2 shows the best heat transfer enhancement compared with other tested base fluids

Oxytocin is not important for the control of gonadotrophin secretion in the late follicular phase of the cycle

Objective To study the role of oxytocin in basal and GnRH-induced gonadotrophin secretion in normal women. Design Normal women were studied in three cycles. When the diameter of the leading follicle was 15-16 mm, the women were infused intravenously (i.v.) for 3 h with normal saline (cycle 1), atosiban (cycle 2) or oxytocin (cycle 3). Patients The study included 12 normally cycling women aged 23-38 years. Measurements After cessation of treatment, two injections of GnRH, 10 mu g each, were administered i.v. 2 h apart and blood samples were collected every 30 min for a total of 240 min. The 30-min pituitary response (sensitivity) to a single GnRH injection (10 mu g i.v.) was investigated thereafter every 12 h from the end of the 3-h infusion until the day of LH surge onset. Results No significant differences in LH and FSH response to GnRH (sensitivity and reserve) during the 240-min experiment were found between the three cycles. The time of LH surge onset from the initiation of the infusion was similar in the three cycles. Also similar in the three cycles were oestradiol (E2) and gonadotrophin levels as well as the 30-min response to GnRH for 48 h following the 3-h infusion. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that neither exogenous oxytocin administration nor blockage of endogenous oxytocin action influences pituitary sensitivity to GnRH in cycling women