The Impact of Dumping Policy on the Food Gap of Chicken Meat in Iraq For the Period (2004-2019) - Turkish Imports Of Chicken Meat a Case Study

Purpose: As a result of the sudden and ill-considered trade openness of Iraq after 2003 to the countries of the world in general and the neighboring countries in particular, and in the absence of the necessary support for the national productive forces and the lack of effective standardization and quality control devices, this led to the exposure of most local products, especially agricultural ones, to decline and inability On the competition and thus dumping the Iraqi market, especially the agricultural products, with imported products, this study came to find out the effect that dumping has on the local production of chicken meat and the impact of that impact on the size of the food gap, and whether the results of the practical study will be in accordance with the logic of economic theory.   Theoretical framework: The concept of dumping, its causes and the difference between it and competition, the WTO position of dumping, and the concept of the food gap were also discussed.   Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected from its official sources, and then the mathematical equations were developed according to economic theory and logic, and using the (EViews) program, the final results were obtained, which were compatible with the logic of economic theory.   Findings: The results of the study proved that when the dumping of chicken meat increased by (1%), the food gap of chicken meat increased by (5.1%).   Research, Practical & Social implications: This study contributes to proving the negative impact of dumping resulting from commercial exposure or unstudied commercial openness, and thus its impact on the food security of the Iraqi community. Originality/value: This research is the first of its kind in the field of agricultural economics, as it links the food gap and dumping policy in a theoretical and practical way

Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Prediction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions using Wavelet-Enhanced Extreme Learning Machine

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Early prediction of CO2 is critical for developing strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. A sophisticated version of the extreme learning machine (ELM), the wavelet enhanced extreme learning machine (W-EELM), is used to predict CO2 on different time scales (weekly, monthly, and yearly). Data were collected from the Mauna Loa Observatory station in Hawaii, which is ideal for global air sampling. Instead of the traditional method (singular value decomposition), a complete orthogonal decomposition (COD) was used to accurately calculate the weights of the ELM output layers. Another contribution of this study is the removal of noise from the input signal using the wavelet transform technique. The results of the W-EELM model are compared with the results of the classical ELM. Various statistical metrics are used to evaluate the models, and the comparative figures confirm the superiority of the applied models over the ELM model. The proposed W-EELM model proves to be a robust and applicable computer-based technology for modeling CO2concentrations, which contributes to the fundamental knowledge of the environmental engineering perspective. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-04-04 Full Text: PD

Enhancing Thermal and Water Absorption Properties of Unsaturated Polyester and Epoxy by Nanocarbon Black Powder

This paper covers the effect of nanocarbon black powder (N220) on the some physical properties (thermal conductivity and water absorption) of unsaturated and epoxy resins filled with nanocarbon black powder (N220). The polymer nanocomposites, were prepared with (1 to 10 wt%) of carbon black nanoparticles using ultrasonic wave bath machine dispersion method. The results had shown thermal conductivity of unsaturated and epoxy resins improved by (131.37% and 78%) respectively, at 10wt. %. The water absorption reduction by (55.41% at 4 wt.%, 51.76% at 6 wt.%) for unsaturated polyester and epoxy nanocomposite, respectively

Detection of Human Herpesvirus Type-1 Antigen in Tissues of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Direct Immunofluorecent Assay

Background: Human herpesvirus is a large enveloped DNA virus and significant human pathogen. Many studies examined oral squamous cell carcinoma for herpes simplex virus and suggested an association with this virus; others have demonstrated human herpesvirus -1 DNA in different part of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Objective: To detect the human herpes virus -1 antigen in tissues of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Patients and methods: Fourty two formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded oral tissues blocks were collected from 30 patients with oral squamous cell and 12 individuals with apparently-healthy oral tissues from archives of histopathology laboratory of college of Dentistry -Baghdad University, during the period from 2010 till 2012. All samples were related to the period between 2004 to 2009. Human herpesvirus -1 antigen was detected by direct immunofluorecent assay (US biological, Cat. No. H2033-08E).  Results: Among oral squamous cell carcinoma group, 26 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded oral tissues blocks were found to contain HHV-1 antigen, this result constituted 86.7% of the total oral squamous cell carcinoma screened for HHV-1 antigen and 75% within apparently-healthy oral tissues.  The age of patients ranged from (25-70) years with mean of 53.26 ±12.1years. The highest percentage 60% was diagnosed in the age above 50 years. The percentage in males (61.68%) was more than in females (38.31%). On the other hand there was no significant difference between viral infection, age and gender distribution, while significant correlation noticed with tumor differentiation. Conclusion: The detection of human herpesvirus -1 antigen in oral squamous cell carcinoma and apparently healthy control indicates virus with other factor such as chemicals and radiation, which play important role in the development of oral cancer

Detection Antibiotic Resistance of Enviromental Bacterial Strains

المضادات الحيويه توصف بشكل عشوائي للعلاج البشري والبيطري. هنالك عدد قليل من المضادات الحيوية المستعملة من قبل البشر والحيوانات تهضم بشكل غير تام في الجهاز الهضمي وتنتهي في نظام التصريف والمستشفيات وفي النهايه تطرح الى مصادر المياه في البيئه مباشره دونما اي معالجه.      ان المياه نفسها تعتبر عامل رئيسي في نشر البكتريا بين مكونات البيئه المختلفه ، اضافه الى احتواء البكتريا على عناصر وراثيه قابله للانتقال بين اماكن مختلفه من التربه، المياه والبشر.      جمعت مسحات بيئيه محليا متضمنه 50 مسحه من بيئه المستشفى ،15مسحه من مخلفات الدواجن واحشاء الدجاج، 20 عينه من المياه الثقيله، 15 عينه من احواض الاسماك لتكشف عن 16 عزله من بكتريا Staphylococcus (4عزلات من Staphylococcus aureus و 12 عزله من بكتريا Staphylococcus السالبه لاختبار Coagulase)، 19 عزله من بكتريا Enterococcus spp.، 7 عزلات من بكتريا Pseudomonas  و5 عزلات بيئيه لكل من بكتريا Shigella و Salmonella.     اختبار الحساسيه لمضادي التيكوبلانين والفانكومايسين للعزلات تم اجراؤه ليظهر ان 2 من اصل 16 عزله (12.5%) من بكتريا Staphylococcus كانت مقاومه للفانكومايسين و 3 من اصل 19 عزله(15.7%) من بكتريا Enterococcus كانت مقاومه للفانكومايسين ، بينما كانت بقيه العزلات حساسه للفانكومايسين.     كل العزلات كانت حساسه لمضاد التايكوبلانين عدا عزله واحده من بكتريا Enterococcus spp.  كانت متوسطه التأثر به. مدى التركيز المثبط الادنى للفانكومايسين كان بين (64-6)مايكروغرام/مل. اظهرت بعض العزلات البكتيريه المقاومه لمضاد الفانكومايسين حزمه بلازميديه واحده بعد استخلاص الدنا الخاص بها.     Antibiotics are randomly prescribed  for veterinary and human medication. Antibiotics by little number are used by human , animals are digested uncompletely  in their digestive system and ended up in communal sewage and hospitals, eventually discharge in environmental water sources directly with no processing.     Water itself consider as major factor of dispersal of bacteria between different environmental components. Besides, bacteria had  transferable genetic mobile elements to different sites of soil, water and humans.       Environmental swabs were collected locally including 50 swabs of hospital environment , 15 samples of poultry feces and chicken guts , 20 sample of heavy water and 15 sample of fish tank to identify16 isolate of Staphylococcus (4 isolate of Staphylococus aureus and 12 isolate of coagulase –ve Staphylococcus) , 19 isolate of Enterococcus spp. , 7 isolates of Pseudomonas and 5 environment isolates for each Shigella spp.  and Salmonella spp. .           Teicoplanin and Vancomycin sensitivity test of isolates was done , showing that 2out of 16 isolates of Staphylococcus (12.5%) were Vancomycin-resistant , and 3out of 19 isolates of Enterococcus (15.7 %) were Vancomycin-resistant, while the rest of isolates were Vancomycin- sensitive. From other side , all isolates was Teicoplanin- sensitive except only 1 Enterococcus spp. Isolate which was intermediate . The range of the Vancomycin MIC were (6-64) µg/ml . Vancomycin resistant isolates , showed that some isolates have one plasmid band after Extraction of their DNA

Association Between Chronic Renal Failure and Thyroid Hormone

Background: The idea of the study is to follow the relation between CR.E and thyroid hormones. Material and Methods: The levels of serum urea , creatinine ,total thyroxin (TT4) , Tri-iodothyronine (TT3) , free T4 (fT4) , freeT3 (fT3) and Thyrotropin (TSH) were measured in the serum of 80 Patients with varying grades of chronic renal failure (CRF) ; and 40 healthy individuals . They were divided into 3 groups  as : Group 1 containing 40 healthy individuals as control group; Group 2 containing 40 Patients on conservative management ; and Group 3 containing 40 Patients on Regular haemodialysis therapy.     Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between chronic renal failure and thyroid function.   Results: Groups 2 and 3 showed significant increased in urea and creatinine compared with control group ( P< 0.001) and significant decreased in TT4(P < 0.01) , TT3(P < 0.001) , fT4( P < 0.01) and fT3( P< 0.001) , whereas TSH values were not significantly altered .      Conclusions: Uremia is accompanied with endocrine disorders , due to impaired degradation of hormones , because of failed kidney functions and to the interference of the uremic environment with extra renal degradation or synthesis and secretion of certain hormones

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years) are lacking. To address this gap, we analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, with a focus on the outcome of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), to inform global cancer control measures in adolescents and young adults. Methods Using the GBD 2019 methodology, international mortality data were collected from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and population-based cancer registry inputs modelled with mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs). Incidence was computed with mortality estimates and corresponding MIRs. Prevalence estimates were calculated using modelled survival and multiplied by disability weights to obtain years lived with disability (YLDs). Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated as age-specific cancer deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. The main outcome was DALYs (the sum of YLLs and YLDs). Estimates were presented globally and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles (countries ranked and divided into five equal SDI groups), and all estimates were presented with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). For this analysis, we used the age range of 15-39 years to define adolescents and young adults. Findings There were 1.19 million (95% UI 1.11-1.28) incident cancer cases and 396 000 (370 000-425 000) deaths due to cancer among people aged 15-39 years worldwide in 2019. The highest age-standardised incidence rates occurred in high SDI (59.6 [54.5-65.7] per 100 000 person-years) and high-middle SDI countries (53.2 [48.8-57.9] per 100 000 person-years), while the highest age-standardised mortality rates were in low-middle SDI (14.2 [12.9-15.6] per 100 000 person-years) and middle SDI (13.6 [12.6-14.8] per 100 000 person-years) countries. In 2019, adolescent and young adult cancers contributed 23.5 million (21.9-25.2) DALYs to the global burden of disease, of which 2.7% (1.9-3.6) came from YLDs and 97.3% (96.4-98.1) from YLLs. Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death and tenth leading cause of DALYs in adolescents and young adults globally. Interpretation Adolescent and young adult cancers contributed substantially to the overall adolescent and young adult disease burden globally in 2019. These results provide new insights into the distribution and magnitude of the adolescent and young adult cancer burden around the world. With notable differences observed across SDI settings, these estimates can inform global and country-level cancer control efforts. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND: Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. FINDINGS: Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. INTERPRETATION: As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC