The epidemiology of Brucellosis in sheep, goats and humans in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Brucellosis is a disease affecting a wide range of domesticated animals and wildlife as well as humans. The disease remains a major zoonotic problem in many regions including the Middle East. In Iraq, where brucellosis is endemic, the disease is a major economic and production limiting disease for livestock owners and the community. Impacts on production arise from reduced milk production, abortions, decreased reproduction rate and premature births. The aim of this project was to investigate the seroprevalence, risk factors and economic impact of brucellosis in sheep and goats in the Kurdistan Region. Also a retrospective study of human brucellosis in Iraq was conducted to describe the historical distribution of the disease and its impact on the population. Fifty one (39 sheep and 12 goats) of 1,050 sera samples were positive on both an RBT and ELISA (overall seroprevalence of 4.9%; 95%CI 3.6 - 6.3). Although there were no significant differences between groups, the highest seroprevalences were reported in sheep, male animals (sheep and goats) and animals (sheep and goats) older than 6 months compared with goats, female animals and animals younger than 6 months of age, respectively. A multivariable logistic-regression analysis was undertaken to identify risk factors for infection in flocks. This analysis indicated that farmers who introduced (purchased) new sheep (OR: 4.24, 95%CI 1.0, 17.3) and who introduced (purchased) new goats in the 12 months preceding the survey (OR: 15.2, 95%CI 3.0 - 76.36) were significantly more likely to have seropositive flocks. In contrast, flocks that used water sourced from a well (OR: 0.27, 95%CI 0.09 - 0.84) and had goats vaccinated against brucellosis in the 12 month period preceding the survey (OR: 0.31, 95%CI 0.12 - 0.75) were significantly less likely to have seropositive flocks. Based on the data available, the total economic impact of brucellosis in sheep and goats in 2015 was estimated to be US$6.14 million (95$7.96 million) ($2.56 per adult female) in the Kurdistan Region. By adopting a mass vaccination control program for 10 years the economic losses arising from abortions and decreasing milk production were estimated to decrease to US$1.83 million (95%CI 1.33 - $2.39 million) (US$0.76 per adult female). The median cost of the mass vaccination program over the ten-year period was estimated at US$7.18 million (95$7.25 million) and the total median benefit in present day dollars was estimated at US$18.42 million (95$23.83 million). The abortion rate had the largest effect on the outcome (regression coefficient = 0.74) followed by the prevalence of the disease (0.63). Based on the official records, the average annual incidence of brucellosis in Iraq, for the period from 1988 to 2002 was 41.88 cases per 100,000 people. There were significant differences between years (overall P value < 0.0001) with the highest annual incidence of 88.2 cases per 100,000 people occurring in 1995. The average annual incidence over this five-year period (2004 to 2008) was 54.11 per 100,000 people in Kurdistan which was significantly higher than the 17.82 per 100,000 people in the rest of Iraq (RR 3.0; 95%CI 1.76 - 5.11). The average annual incidence of brucellosis per 100,000 people for the period 2009 to 2014 in four different provinces of Kurdistan was 36.74. The median cost per patient diagnosed with brucellosis was estimated to be US$321.78 (95$388.72) in the Iraqi Kurdistan region in 2014. The median annual DALYs due to the disease was estimated to be 27.17 (95%CI 15.81 - 42.65) per 100,000 people per year. It is recommended that to effectively control brucellosis in small ruminants in the Iraq Kurdistan region, an integrated approach should be implemented including adopting risk-based control measures, mass vaccination and education

a view from modern soft X-ray spectroscopies

Soft X-ray spectroscopies are powerful tools for probing the local electronic and molecular orbital structures of materials in different phases and various environments. While modern spectroscopic tools using soft X-ray synchrotron photons perspicuously reveal the molecular orbital (MO) structure in detail, structures remain widely unknown in the liquid phase since many of these techniques could only be applied to solutions very recently. Furthermore, the interactions and dynamics of molecules in the liquid phase are especially complicated compared to those in gas and solid phases and thereby impede the understanding of functional materials in solution. This review presents recent developments using soft X-ray radiation for probing the electronic structure of ions and molecules in solution. The presented X-ray absorption, emission, and photo-electron spectroscopy studies exhibit the powerful contributions of soft X-ray liquid spectroscopies in the last few years

The Role of Economics Factors in Driving Economic Growth: An Empirical Study in Iraq

This study examined the implications of inequality, human capital, innovation and entrepreneurship, social and political instability, and other factors on sustainable economic growth in Erbil-Kurdistan. Quantitative methods were applied, and information from 2006–2022 was analyzed. Data analysis included a correlation and regression test. It was observed that inequality, social discontent, and political instability were significantly connected to the opposite outcome (low economic growth), while human capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship were significantly related to high economic growth that could be sustained over time. The findings revealed that all developed research hypotheses are supported. The study highlights the importance of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as investing in people, for long-term economic growth in Erbil and Kurdistan. Inequality, as well as social and political instability, are addressed, and suggestions for policy change are offered. Further interdisciplinary study is required to properly understand the elements that contribute to Erbil and Kurdistan's sustained economic success

recent techniques and applications using soft X-ray spectroscopy

The aim of a more precise knowledge about molecular structures and the nature of chemical bonds is the driving force behind the development of numerous experimental methods and theories. Recent soft X-ray based techniques provide novel opportunities for tackling the structure and the dynamics of chemical and biochemical systems in solution. In our research group we are developing experimental methods for mapping the electronic structure and dynamics of molecular systems in solution during bond-building and breaking using soft X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. The combination of such recent developments with conventional spectroscopy as well as theoretical modeling allows us to address open questions about hydrogen bonds, thermodynamics and active centers of biological systems. Based on the core-hole clock and pump–probe spectroscopy dynamics on the time scale from sub-femtoseconds up to picoseconds can be revealed

Multi-reference approach to the calculation of photoelectron spectra including spin-orbit coupling

X-ray photoelectron spectra provide a wealth of information on the electronic structure. The extraction of molecular details requires adequate theoretical methods, which in case of transition metal complexes has to account for effects due to the multi-configurational and spin-mixed nature of the many-electron wave function. Here, the Restricted Active Space Self-Consistent Field method including spin-orbit coupling is used to cope with this challenge and to calculate valence and core photoelectron spectra. The intensities are estimated within the frameworks of the Dyson orbital formalism and the sudden approximation. Thereby, we utilize an efficient computational algorithm that is based on a biorthonormal basis transformation. The approach is applied to the valence photoionization of the gas phase water molecule and to the core ionization spectrum of the $\text{[Fe(H}_2\text{O)}_6\text{]}^{2+}$ complex. The results show good agreement with the experimental data obtained in this work, whereas the sudden approximation demonstrates distinct deviations from experiments

LiXEdrom: High Energy Resolution RIXS Station dedicated to Liquid Investigation at BESSY II

LiXEdrom is an experimental station dedicated to high resolution RIXS measurements on liquid samples. It is equipped with two VLS gratings and advanced photon detector (MCP/phosphorous screen/CCD), covering soft X-ray range of 200 – 1200 eV. The efficient differential pumping and cooling systems ensure successful executions of X-ray spectroscopy on liquid samples in vacuum. Liquid samples are introduced into the vacuum chamber by micro-jet or flow-cell techniques

an iron L-edge X-ray absorption study of the active centre

Iron L-edge X-ray absorption spectra of the active centre of myoglobin in the met-form, in the reduced form and upon ligation to O2, CO, NO and CN are presented. The strength of ligation with the iron centre is finger-printed through the variation of the L3 : L2 intensity ratio. Charge Transfer Multiplet calculations are performed and give qualitative information about oxidation states as well as charge transfer

Thiazole derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for C-steel in sulphuric acid solution

5-phenylazo-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-one and four of its derivatives have been investigated as corrosion inhibitors for C-steel in 1 M sulphuric acid solution using weight-loss and galvanostatic polarization techniques. The efficiency of the inhibitors increases with increase in inhibitor concentration but decreases with a rise in temperature. The conjoint effect of the thiazole derivatives and KBr, KSCN and KI has also been studied. The apparent activation energy (Ea*) and other thermodynamic parameters (ΔS*, ΔH* and ΔG*ads) for the corrosion process have also been calculated. The galvanostatic polarization data indicated that, the inhibitors were of mixed-type, but the cathode is more polarized than the anode. The slopes of the cathodic and anodic Tafel lines (ßc and ßa) are approximately constant and independent of the inhibitor concentration. The adsorption of these compounds on C-steel surface has been found to obey the Temkin's adsorption isotherm. The mechanism of inhibition was discussed in the light of the chemical structure of the undertaken inhibitors

Multiplateau structure in photoemission spectra of strong-field ionization of dense media

Strong-field ionization of dense molecular gases in a short infrared laser pulse is studied by means of photoelectron spectroscopy combined with a liquid microjet technique. By increasing the gas density, we observe how the laser- assisted electron scattering on neighboring particles becomes a dominant mechanism of hot electron emission. The angle-resolved energy distributions of rescattered electrons are obtained by analyzing the density dependency of emission spectra. A semiclassical consideration of electron trajectories is shown to provide a good description of experimental spectra. The model predicts the existence of four energy plateaus. Two cutoffs at higher energies are evident in the spectra