Breast cancer risk assessment by Gail Model in women of Baghdad

Objectives: To assess the high incidence of breast cancer (BC) and the effect of its early diagnosis on decreasing morbidity and mortality among Iraqi women.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted and data were collected from 250 women in Baghdad by a questionnaire consisted of demographic and breast cancer risk (BCR) factors questions. Brest cancer risk was calculated using the BCR Assessment Tool (BCRAT) of the National Cancer Institute’s online version (Gail Model).Results: The average age of women was 45.46± 9.2 years. Twenty-six (10.4%) women have first degree relatives who had BC and three of them have more than one. More than half of the women 136 (54.4%) had their menarche at 12–13 years of age. Half of them 126 (50.4%) had their first birth at <30 year of age.The mean five year BCR for all women was 0.95 ± 1.4%, and 19 (7.6%) of them had a five year BCR ≥ 1.7%. Mean lifetime BCR up to age 90 years was 11.13 ± 4.7% and 6 (2.4%) women had high risk. Based on these findings, it can be suggested that employing Gail Model for BCR assessment can help healthcare providers in Iraq to estimate an individual’s probability of developing BC for screening and prevention.Keywords: Breast cancer risk; Gail Model; Ira

Knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among sample of women in Shatra/Dhi-Qar/Iraq

Objectives: The knowledge and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) and breast cancer (BC) warning signs for the prevention purpose among females in Technical Institute of Shatra, Dhi-Qar Province, Iraq were investigated.Methods: A cross-sectional survey by self-administered questionnaire prepared and 200 participants surveyed from January to March 2017 included 122 students, 45 teaching staff, and 33 employees.Results: The results showed that 73% of students, 88% teaching staff, and 85% employees heard of BSE.About 55.7% of students, 44% teaching staff, and 45.4% employees know how to do BSE.Only 25.4% students, 24.4% teaching staff, and 21.2% employees actually practiced BSE.Fifty-four percent of students, 42% teaching staff, and 37% employees know that a mammography is a tool for screening of BC. Most of the participants had knowledge about warning signs of BC but only half of all the participants know that the best time for BSE is 5th to 7th day after menstrual cycle and only 31% know that the correct age to do BSE is >18 year age.TV and internet were the main sources of knowledge about SBE for 47% of all participants. There was a low awareness of BC and BSE among the participants and there are a need for continuing medical education programs by TV and the internet about BC warn signs, BSE and risk factors.Keywords: Knowledge, Breast cancer, Self-examination, Ira

Fuzzy Logic Inference Index to Assess the Water Quality of Tigris River within Baghdad City

This study aimed to develop a new water quality index for routine assessment of the river water quality for drinking purpose based on fuzzy logic artificial intelligence method. Four water quality parameters were involved in light of their significance to Iraqi waters, these parameters are biological oxygen demand, and total dissolved solids, total hardness, and fecal coliform. Fuzzy logic inference system with specific rules was developed by Matlab software using Mamdani fuzzy logic Max–Min inference system method. To evaluate the performance of this new fuzzy water quality index (FWQI), tests were conducted using the Iraqi standards for drinking water quality and the 2017 data set of Tigris River within Baghdad. Results revealed the FWQI ability to assess the water quality of Tigris River during the period of the study and that the method of fuzzy inference system was a simple, valuable and applied water quality evaluation tool for human drinking water of Iraqi rivers

Water quality index for Al-Gharraf River, southern Iraq

The Water Quality Index has been developed mathematically to evaluate the water quality of Al-Gharraf River, the main branch of the Tigris River in the south of Iraq. Water samples were collected monthly from five sampling stations during 2015–2016, and 11 parameters were analyzed: biological oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, the concentration of hydrogen ions, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, phosphates, nitrates, chlorides, as well as turbidity, total hardness, electrical conductivity and alkalinity. The index classified the river water, without including turbidity as a parameter, as good for drinking at the first station, poor at stations 2, 3, 4 and very poor at station 5. When turbidity was included, the index classified the river water as unsuitable for drinking purposes in the entire river. The study highlights the importance of applying the water quality indices which indicate the total effect of the ecological factors on surface water quality and which give a simple interpretation of the monitoring data to help local people in improving water quality

Water Footprint of Wheat in Iraq

The water footprint (WF) is an indicator of indirect and direct fresh water use. In respect of facilitating decision-making processes,WF gives an excellent perspective on how and where fresh water is used in the supply chain. More than 39million people live in Iraq and,with a growing population, there is a water shortage and a rising demand for food that cannot be met in the future. In this study, theWF of wheat production is estimated for the year 2016–2017 for 15 Iraqi provinces. TheWF was calculated using the method ofMekonnen and Hoekstra (2011) and the CROPWAT and CLIMWAT softwares’ crop water requirement option. It was found that theWF in m 3/ton was 1876 m3/ton. The 15 provinces showed variations inWFs, which can be ascribed to the difference in climate and production values. The highest wheat WF was found in Nineveh province, followed by Muthanna, Anbar, and Basra. The last three provinces produce little and have a highWF so, in these provinces, wheat can be replaced with crops that need less water and provide more economic benefit. There is an opportunity to reduce the greenWF by increasing production from the 4 rain-fed provinces, which will reduce the need for production from the irrigated provinces and, therefore, reduce the use of blue water.Validerad;2019;Nivå 2;2019-03-22 (johcin)</p

Agriculture in Iraq

The climate of Iraq is of the subtropical semi-dry type; however, the country was rich in water resources until a few decades ago. The climate change, the construction of many dams on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the neighboring countries, wasting water, and mismanagement caused water shortages. Now, there is a need to decrease consumption, good management of water resources and determining the water requirements and water footprints of the major crops because agriculture is the first consumer of water. The FAO CROPWAT 8.0 simulation model, the CLIMWAT 2.0 tool, and the Aqua-Crop model can be used in Iraq to find the crop water requirements (CWR), irrigation schedules and water footprint (WF) for major crops, the Aqua-Crop software can predict the effects of water deficits on crop productivity or yield to improve irrigation under limited water conditions. All of that is to improve the management of water resources to cope with drought. The objectives of this proposal study beside the calculating of wheat water footprint are to assess the capability of the AquaCrop model to simulate wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) performance in hot dry conditions under full and deficient water conditions in south of Iraq, to study the effect of various irrigation scenarios (stages of crop growth and water depth applied) on wheat yield. The AquaCrop model will be evaluated with experimental data during the field experiment. The AquaCrop model can accurately simulate root zone, crop biomass and grain yield soil water content, with less than 10 percent standardized root mean square error (RMSE).Validerad;2020;Nivå 1;2020-11-18 (alebob)</p

Assessment of Main Cereal Crop Trade Impacts on Water and Land Security in Iraq

Growing populations, socio-economic development, the pollution of rivers, and the withdrawal of fresh water are all signs of increasing water scarcity, and with 85% of global use, agriculture is the biggest freshwater user. The water footprint (WF) and virtual water (VW) are concepts used recently for freshwater resources assessment. The WF reflects how much, when and where the water was used whereas VW reveals the volume of water embedded in goods when traded. The first goal of this research is to determine the WF per ton and the WF of production (Mm3/yr) of wheat, barley, rice, and maize in Iraq. The second goal is estimating the quantities of the 4 main cereal crops imported into Iraq and assessing the impact on reducing WF and land savings for 10 years from 2007 to 2016. The results showed that the WF per ton was 1736, 1769, 3694, 2238 m3/ton and the WF of production was 5271, 1475, 997, 820 Mm3/yr for wheat, barley, rice, and maize, respectively. The median total VW imported was 4408 Mm3/yr, the largest volume was 3478 Mm3/yr from wheat, and Iraq saved about 2676 Mm3 of irrigated water and 1,239,539 M ha of land by importing crops every year during 2007–2016. The study revealed the significance of better irrigation management methods to decrease the WF through a selection of crops that need less water and cultivation in rain-fed areas, as well as the use of cereal import to conserve scarce water resources, which is crucial both in terms of water resource management and preservation of the environment. The results of this research could be used as a guideline for better water management practices in Iraq and can provide helpful data for both stakeholders and policymakers.Validerad;2020;Nivå 2;2020-01-24 (johcin)</p

Crop Water Requirements and Irrigation Schedules for Some Major Crops in Southern Iraq

The climate of Iraq is of the subtropical semi-dry type; however, the country was rich in water resources until a few decades ago. Climate change and the construction of many dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the neighboring countries have caused water shortages and poor water quality. Now, there is a need to decrease consumption, improve management of water resources, and determine the water requirements of the major crops because agriculture is the first consumer of water in Iraq. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) CROPWAT 8.0 simulation software and the CLIMWAT 2.0 tool attached to it have been used in this research for Dhi-Qar Province in southern Iraq to find the crop water requirements (CWRs) and irrigation schedules for some major crops. The CROPWAT Penman–Monteith method was used to calculate the reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil conservation (S.C.) method was used to estimate the effective rainfall. The study results showed that ET0 varied from 2.18 to 10.5 mm/day and the effective rainfall varied from 0.0 to 23.1 mm. The irrigation requirements were 1142, 203.2, 844.8, and 1180 mm/dec for wheat, barley, white corn, and tomatoes, respectively. There is a higher water demand for crops during the dry seasons (summer and autumn) and a lower demand during the wet seasons (winter and spring). The total gross irrigation and the total net irrigation were 343.8 mm and 240.7 mm for wheat, 175.2 mm and 122.6 mm for barley, 343.8 mm and 240.7 mm for white corn, and 203.3 mm and 142.3 mm for tomatoes. This study proved that the CROPWAT model is useful for calculating the crop irrigation needs for the proper management of water resources.Validerad;2019;Nivå 2;2019-04-15 (svasva)</p

Evaluation of Water quality in the Tigris River within Baghdad, Iraq using Multivariate Statistical Techniques

This research concentrated on the Tigris River water quality monitoring information. Some multivariate statistical techniques were applied like basic Ingredient (PC) test, discriminant analysis (DA), multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) to evaluate important parameters affecting water quality during year 2017-2018. The study included 25 water quality parameters, viz., Temperature (T), Potential of Hydrogen (pH), Turbidity (Tur), Total Alkaline (TA), Full rigidity (TH), Calcium (Ca+2), Chloride (Cl-1), Magnesium (Mg+2), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Sulfate (SO4-2), Total Solids (TS), Suspended Solids (SS), Iron (Fe+2), Fluoride (F-1), Aluminum (Al+3), Nitrite (NO2-1), Nitrate (NO3-1), Silica (SiO2), Phosphate (PO4-3), Ammonia (NH3), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Sodium (Na+1), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Generally, all the parameters were within the standards except Tur, TA, Ca+2, EC, SO4-2. The levels of Tur and EC are of critical factors influence upon the Tigris water quality. The PCA identified six principal components responsible for 78.12% of the variation caused by the industrial, domestic, municipal and agricultural runoff pollution sources. DA results produced the eight parameters; T, BOD5, EC, Mg+2, DO, Tur, Na+1, and COD as the most significant parameters differentiating the two parts of the year (the cold and warm seasons). The result of MLRA showed that BOD5, Na+1, T, DO, and PO4-3 are the important dependable factors for predicting the COD value as an indicator of organic and nonorganic pollution. This research demonstrated success importance utilizing Multivariate statistical methods like valuable instrument of administration, control, and preserve the water of the river.Konferensartikel i tidskrift</p

Groundwater Hydrochemistry Assessment of North Dhi-Qar Province, South of Iraq Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques

Multivariate statistical techniques including correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis (CA) were applied in this study to assess the groundwater hydrochemistry of the North Dhi-Qar Province, South of Iraq. The water samples were taken from 16 water wells in the period from January to October 2020 and ten water variables were analyzed, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO4−2, and HCO3−. The results obtained from Spearman's correlation showed that the positive and negative correlation of P &lt; 0.05 between water variables is different at two-tailed grades. Results from the PCA have shown that approximately 85% of the overall variance has been clarified by the three PCs achieved. The main causes of variation in the hydro-chemical properties of water samples of the wells can therefore be determined. PC 1 represents about 36.75% of the variance and holds a high loading for EC, HCO3−, Cl−, K+, and EC. PC2, which explains 35% of the total variance, has high loadings for EC, Na+, TDS, Ca+2, and SO4−2. PC 3 shows high loadings for pH, which accounts for 13.235% of the variation in the water hydrochemistry. The hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) grouped the 16 sampling wells into three clusters of similar water quality characteristics. In the analysis of space changes in water quality, this research demonstrates the use of multivariate statistical methods for the interpretation of complex data sets. This will thus improve future studies preparation