Evaluation of Some Heavy Metals, Their Fate and Transportation in Water, Sediment, and Some Biota within AL-Musayyib River, Babylon Governorate, Iraq

تناولت هذه الدراسة تقدير سبعة عناصر ثقيلة (الحديد والنحاس والزنك والرصاص والنيكل والكادميوم والكروم) في الماء (الطور الذائب والدقائقي) والرواسب وبعض الكائنات الحية المائية بما في ذلك نوعان من النباتات المائية (Ceratophyllum demersum&Phragmites australis) و نوع واحد من المحار (Psedontopeses euphratics) ونوعان من الأسماك (Oreochromis aureus&Leuciscus vorax) في أربعة مواقع داخل قناة مشروع المسيب / فرع من نهر الفرات ، بابل ، وسط العراق ويهدف ذلك لبيان تركيز هذه العناصر ومصيرها واليات انتقالها خلال السلسلة الغذائية في هذا النظام المائي الجاري ، أيضًا تم قياس بعض الخصائص الفيزيائية والكيميائية لمياه القناة ، مثل درجة حرارة الماء  والاس الهيدروجيني والتوصيلية الكهربائية (EC) والملوحة  و المواد الصلبة الذائبة الكلية (TDS) و المواد الصلبة العالقة الكلية (TSS) والأكسجين المذاب (DO) والمتطلب الاحيائي للاوكسجين (BOD5).وكان الترتيب  للعناصر المدروسة في الطور الذائب من الماء هو: - Zn>Fe>Cu>Ni>Pb>Cr>Cd اذ سجل عنصر الزنك أعلى معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع بينما سجل عنصر الكادميوم أقل معدل في الموقع الأول لموسم الربيع. وفي الطور الدقائقي منه ترتبت العناصر بالشكل الاتي: Zn>Cu>Fe>Ni>Pb>Cr>Cd والتي سجل  فيهاعنصر الزنك أعلى معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع بينما سجل عنصر الكادميوم أقل معدل في الموقع الرابع لموسم الربيع وترتبت العناصر تحت الدراسة في  الرواسب بالصيغة الاتية : Zn>Cu>Fe>Pb>Ni>Cd>Cr وسجل عنصر الزنك أعلى معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع بينما سجل عنصر الكروم أقل معدل في الموقع الثاني للربيع وفي النبات المائيC. demersumكان تدرجها اخذ الشكل الاتي: Zn>Fe>Cu>Pb>Cr>Ni>Cd سجل عنصر الزنك أعلى معدل في الموقع الرابع لموسم الشتاء بينما سجل عنصر الكادميوم أقل معدل في الموقع الأول لموسم الخريف فيP. australis كما في الصيغة:  Zn>Fe>Cu>Pb>Cd> سجل عنصر الزنك Ni>Cr أعلى معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع بينما سجل عنصر الكروم أقل معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع.  اما في المحار فقد كان ترتيبها كالاتي: Zn>Fe>Cu>Ni>Pb>Cd>Cr ، سجل عنصر الزنك أعلى معدل في الموقع الثاني لموسم الربيع بينما سجل الكروم أدنى قيمة في الموقع 3 خلال شتاء 2021 وفي أنواع الأسماك (O. aureus ) كان ترتيب Fe>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cr>Cd>Ni. سجل عنصر الحديد أعلى معدل في الموقع 2 في ربيع عام 2021 بينما سجل عنصر الحديد أقل معدل كان Ni في الموقع 2 للربيع و سجل عنصر الحديد أعلى معدل في الموقع الأول لموسم الصيف بينما سجل النيكل قيم منخفضة في الموقع الرابع في ربيع 2021.This study estimated seven heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr) in water (dissolved and particulate phase), sediments and some aquatic organisms including two species from aquatic plants (Ceratophyllum demersum&Phragmites australis); one species of clam (Psedontopeses euphratics) and two species from fish (Oreochromis aureus& Leuciscus vorax)in four sites within Mashroo AL- Musayyib channel project/ branch  of Euphrates river, Babylon , medial of Iraq . This aims to show the concentration of these elements, their fate and the mechanisms of their transmission through the food chain in this lotic aquatic system ; also in addition to examining  some physicochemical properties of river water such as water temperature (WT),air temperature (AT),pH , electrical conductivity ( EC) , salinity ,total dissolved solid ( TDS), total  solid  suspended (TSS) , dissolved oxygen (DO)  and biological oxygen demand ( BOD5) .The occurrence in heavy metals in water was found in the order in the Dissolved phase :- Zn> Fe > Cu> Ni>Pb> Cr > Cd, the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site two for spring season while the cadmium element recorded the lowest rate in site one for spring season. In the particulate phase:- Zn> Cu >Fe > Ni>Pb> Cr > Cd,  the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site two for spring season while the cadmium element recorded the lowest rate in site four for spring season. The sediment order was Zn> Cu >Fe >Pb> Ni > Cd > Cr where the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site two for spring season where as the chromium element recorded the lowest rate in site two for spring.  In aquatic plant the order was in C. demersum :Zn> Fe > Cu>Pb> Cr > Ni > Cd,  the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site four  for winter season while the cadmium element recorded the lowest rate in site one for autumn season.  In P. australis: Zn> Fe > Cu>Pb> Cd > Ni > Cr , the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site two for spring  season while the chromium  element recorded the lowest rate in site two for spring season. In clam the order was: Zn> Fe > Cu> Ni >Pb> Cd > Cr where the zinc element recorded the highest rate in site two for spring season while the chromium recorded the lowest value in site 3 through  winter 2021.In fish species (O. aureas) the order was Fe > Zn > Cu>Pb> Cr > Cd > Ni. The iron element recorded as the highest rate in site 2 in spring 2021 whilethe element that recorded the lowest rate was Ni in site 2for spring in L. vorax. The iron element recorded the highest rate in site one for summer season where as the Nickel was recorded a lower value in site four in spring2021

Novel Electromagnetic Sensors Embedded in Reinforced Concrete Beams for Crack Detection

This paper investigates the possibility of applying novel microwave sensors for crack detection in reinforced concrete structures. Initially, a microstrip patch antenna with a Split Ring Resonator (SRR) structure was designed, simulated and fabricated. To evaluate the sensor’s performance, a series of structural tests were carried out and the sensor responses were monitored. Four reinforced concrete (RC) beam specimens, designed according to the European Standards, were tested under 3-point bending. The load was applied incrementally to the beams and the static responses were monitored via the use of a load cell, displacement transducers and crack width gauges (Demec studs). In parallel, signal readings from the microwave sensors, which were employed prior to casting of the concrete, located at the neutral axis at the mid-span of the beam, were recorded at various load increments. The microwave measurements were analysed and compared with those from crack width gauges. A strong linear relationship between the crack propagation and the electromagnetic signal across the full captured spectrum was found, demonstrating the technique’s capability and its potential for further research offering a reliable, low cost option for structural health monitoring (SHM)

A First Implementation of Underwater Communications in Raw Water Using the 433 MHz Frequency Combined with a Bowtie Antenna

In 2016, there were 317 serious water pollution incidents in the UK, with 78,000 locations where businesses discharge controlled quantities of pollutants into rivers; therefore, continuous monitoring is vital. Since 1998, the environment agency has taken over 50 million water samples for water quality monitoring. The Internet of Things has grown phenomenally in recent years, reaching all aspects of our lives, many of these connected devices use wireless sensor networks to relay data to internet-connected nodes, where data can be processed, analyzed and consumed. However, Underwater wireless communications rely mainly on alternative communication methods such as optical and acoustic, with radio frequencies being an under-exploited method. This research presents real world results conducted in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for the novel use of the 433 MHz radio frequency combined with a bowtie antenna in underwater communications in raw water, achieving distances of 7 m at 1.2 kbps and 5 meters at 25 kbps

Design and implementation of a non-invasive real-time microwave sensor for assessing water hardness in heat exchangers

A non-invasive-monitoring of concentration and dielectric properties of calcium hardness in heat exchanger cooling water was conducted with a 2.5 GHz microwave cavity resonator designed and fabricated locally for the experiment. The principle of electric dipole moment theories were used to analyse the sample solution that occurs as a function of calcium ion content. Artificial difference of water hardness was prepared by mixing CaCl 2 in deionised water . The sample was centrally positioned in the electric field of the TM 010 mode of a resonant cylindrical cavity. COMSOL simulation package was used to compare and validate the experimental cavity resonator frequency. Transmission signal (S 21 ) measurements via vector network analyser at different concentrations were observed a linear relationship in amplitude with different frequency changes. In addition, calcium absorption provides a first-order change in material polarisation (i.e. real permittivity), and second-order transitions associated dielectric losses (i.e. imaginary permittivity). These research findings introduce a novel technique of real-time monitoring of water hardness concentration by using non-invasive microwave sensor. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

New solutions in the tax system in Poland

Podatki obejmują swoim prawem każdą osobę, dlatego też usłyszeć można różne opinie na temat tego świadczenia. Podatek pozwala na funkcjonowanie budżetu państwa oraz jednostek samorządu terytorialnego, gdyż bez środków z tego świadczenia nie byłoby możliwe np. wybudowanie drogi czy finansowanie szkolnictwa oraz ochrony zdrowia. Drugą stroną medalu jest zobligowanie podatnika do uiszczenia opłaty, z którego podatnicy Ci nie są zadowoleni. Obowiązek przeznaczenia otrzymanej części pieniędzy ze świadczenia pracy, prowadzenia działalności gospodarczej oraz z innych tytułów na opłatę podatku nie jest dla nikogo dobrą informacją.W ostatnim czasie zauważalne były kontrowersje związane z wprowadzanym Polskim Ładem. Opinie medialne podchodziły negatywnie do proponowanych zmian podatkowych, które po głębszej analizie okazywały się dla wielu podatników nieopłacalne lub dające minimalne korzyści. Postanowiono przeanalizować w niniejszej pracy wprowadzone nowe rozwiązania podatkowe, które zachęcają do skorzystania przez podatników.Celem niniejszej pracy jest omówienie nowych rozwiązań podatkowych w polskim systemie podatkowym.Problematyka badawcza została omówiona w czterech rozdziałach, w tym dwóch teoretycznych oraz dwóch empirycznych. W rozdziale pierwszym sformułowano pojęcie oraz genezę podatku. Ukazano różne formy zrozumienia słowa „podatek” oraz opis cech podatku. Historia podatku przedstawia prekursor podatku – daninę publiczną, a także kształtowanie się podatku na przykładzie historii Polski. Kolejno przedstawiono występujące aktualnie podatki i opłaty w polskim systemie podatkowym oraz odmienne formy klasyfikacji podatków w Polsce.Rozdział drugi przeznaczony został na opisaniu zjawiska ulgi podatkowej. Zaprezentowano odmienność ulgi podatkowej od zwolnienia podatkowego, aspekt prawny ulgi podatkowej, w tym ukazanie prawa ustawodawcy podatkowego do tworzenia ulg podatkowych. Przedstawiono też słuszność ulg oraz zwolnień podatkowych na podstawie różnic w polskim społeczeństwie. Opisane zostały również rodzaje ulg podatkowych. Rozdział ten zamyka podrozdział, który demonstruje wprowadzone ulgi podatkowe w polskim systemie podatkowym od 2018 r. do 2022 r.Trzeci rozdział szczegółowo prezentuje dwie nowe opłaty wprowadzone od 1 stycznia 2021 r.: opłatę od środków spożywczych oraz opłatę od sprzedaży alkoholu w opakowaniach do 300 ml. Wyjaśniono, że opłaty te na podstawie definicji podatku, omówionym w rozdziale pierwszym, klasują się jako podatek. Zaprezentowano również skutki wprowadzenia tychże podatków, w szczególności ich wpływ na sytuacje konsumenta. Zaprezentowano również nową formę podatkową, kierowaną jedynie dla dwóch form prowadzenia działalności: spółki z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością oraz spółki akcyjnej. Forma ta to dochody opodatkowane ryczałtem od dochodów spółek kapitałowych, tzw. Estoński CIT. W pracy przedstawiono wersję 1.0 tejże formy opodatkowania, która zawiera wiele wymagań, a także wyjątków. Rozdział ten finalizuje się przedstawieniem wyników wprowadzenia tejże formy opodatkowania w roku 2021.W rozdziale czwartym opisano analizę badań przeprowadzanych w celu sprawdzenia wiedzy Polaków na temat aktualnych obciążeń fiskalnych oraz rozwiązań podatkowych. Zdefiniowane zostały hipotezy, które po przeprowadzeniu badań, przeanalizowano z wynikami badań. We wnioskach końcowych opisano wpływ wyników badań, w szczególności zagrożenia płynące z ukazanych wyników oraz ukazanie możliwości w celu minimalizacji tychże zagrożeń.Praca ta została sporządzona na podstawie wybranej, polskojęzycznej literatury omawiającej problematykę zarówno systemu podatkowego, podatków jak i szczególnych form w systemie podatkowym: zwolnień oraz ulg podatkowych. Korzystano również z szerokiej gamy aktów prawnych dostępnych w Internetowym Systemie Aktów Prawnych.Taxes apply to every individual, which is why different opinions on this contribution can be heard. The tax enables the state and local government budgets to function, as without this contribution, it would not be possible, for example, to build a road or finance education and health care. The other side of the coin is the taxpayer's obligation to pay a fee, which these taxpayers are not happy about. The obligation to allocate the money received from work, business and other titles to the payment of the tax is not good news for anyone.Recently, there has been a noticeable controversy about the introduced "Polski Lad". Media opinions were negative towards the proposed tax changes, which, after a deeper analysis, turned out to be unprofitable or of minimal benefit for many taxpayers. It was decided to analyse in this study the new tax solutions introduced, which encourage taxpayers to take advantage.The aim of this study is to discuss new tax solutions in the Polish tax system.The research questions are discussed in four chapters, including two theoretical and two empirical ones.The first chapter formulates the concept and genesis of tax. The different forms of understanding the word 'tax' and a description of the features of a tax are shown. The history of the tax presents the precursor of the tax - a public tribute - as well as the formation of the tax on the example of Polish history. Subsequently, the currently existing taxes and fees in the Polish tax system and the different forms of tax classification in Poland are presented.The second chapter was devoted to describing the phenomenon of tax relief. The dissimilarity of a tax relief from a tax exemption, the legal aspect of a tax relief, including the presentation of the right of the tax legislator to create tax reliefs was presented. The validity of tax reliefs and exemptions was also presented on the basis of differences in Polish society. The types of tax reliefs are also described. The chapter concludes with a subsection that demonstrates the introduced tax reliefs in the Polish tax system from 2018 to 2022.The third chapter presents in detail two new fees introduced from 1 January 2021: a fee on foodstuffs and a fee on the sale of alcohol in packages up to 300 ml. It is explained that these fees classify as a tax on the basis of the definition of tax, discussed in chapter one. The effects of the introduction of these taxes, in particular their impact on consumer situations, are also presented. A new tax form is also presented, directed at only two forms of business: the limited liability company and the joint stock company. This form is a flat-rate tax on the income of limited liability companies, the so-called Estonian CIT. The paper presents version 1.0 of this form of taxation, which contains many requirements as well as exceptions. The chapter concludes by presenting the results of the introduction of this form of taxation in 2021.The fourth chapter describes the analysis of surveys conducted to test Poles' knowledge of current fiscal burdens and tax solutions. Hypotheses are defined and, following the survey, analysed with the results of the research. In the conclusion, the impact of the research results is described, in particular the risks of the findings and the presentation of opportunities to minimise these risks.This work was based on selected Polish-language literature discussing the tax system, taxes and specific forms in the tax system: exemptions and tax reliefs. A wide range of legal acts available in the „Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych”was also used

Preliminary Studies of Methylene Blue Remotion from Aqueous Solutions by <i>Ocimum basilicum</i>

The continuous expansion in the textile industry results in high loads of coloured wastewaters that heavily pollute the limited freshwater sources. Therefore, a wide array of treatment methods has been used to remediate water/wastewater from dyes. One common practice is the use of plants to degrade, absorb, metabolise, and detoxify different types of pollutants, including dyes. This study employs sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) as a phytoremediation model herb to remove different concentrations (5–25 mg/L) of methylene blue (MB) dye from synthetic water, taking into account the effects of the MB dye concentration (5–25 mg/L) and contact time (up to 10 days). The results showed that the ability of Ocimum basilicum to absorb MB dye decreased with the increase of the MB dye concentration and increased with the increase of the contact time. The best removal of the MB dye was 93% when the concentration of the MB dye was 25 mg/L and the contact time was 10 days. Additionally, it was noticed that the relative growth rate (RGR) of the herbs was adversely influenced by increasing MB dye concentrations and that the best RGR value was 2.2 g/day when the MB dye concentration was 5 mg/L

Experimental study of square and rectangular hollow section aluminium alloy columns

Recently, aluminium alloys are extensively used in the construction sector because of their small self-weight, good corrosion resistance, low maintenance, high recyclability, and aesthetic appearance. However, one of the main disadvantages of these alloys is the low Young's modulus, which may cause a stability issue of aluminium structural members. Moreover, currently available design standards for predicting buckling resistance of aluminium columns are generally conservative. Therefore, additional research is required to evaluate the actual structural behaviour of aluminium columns under axial compression. The present study experimentally investigated the buckling response of 13 square and rectangular 6082-T6 aluminium alloy columns subjected to axial compression. The properties of the aluminium alloy were achieved from tensile test of coupon samples. The compressive load was employed concentrically by using a knife-edge hinge to ensure pin supports on both ends of the specimens. The structural response of the columns observed from the tests is presented in terms of ultimate strengths, failure modes and load-mid-height lateral displacement relationship. Furthermore, the test results of the specimens are compared with the ultimate strengths calculated by Eurocode 9, showing that the latter provides conservative and scattered design estimations

Comparison of state-of-the-art multi-view stereo solutions for close range heritage documentation

In recent years novel 3D reconstruction methods have been developed to improve the conventional image-based point cloud generation techniques. These novel methods generally attempt to address various challenges encountered in conventional methods, namely, the reconstruction of reflective surfaces and the amount of processing time required, both of which are major bottlenecks in heritage documentation and especially those related to large and complex objects. In this paper, we identified three types of 3D image-based reconstruction techniques and tested their usage on heritage datasets, namely (1) conventional multi-view stereo (MVS), (2) learningbased MVS, and (3) neural radiance fields (NeRF). The aim of this study is to determine the capabilities of these methods in reconstruction of three different heritage-related datasets with different challenges. Our results show that conventional MVS is nowadays a reliable solution for 3D reconstruction, in many instances recording good results relative to the reference terrestrial laser scans (TLS) when properly deployed. When applied to a challenging highly reflective scene, conventional MVS fared well using the PatchMatch algorithm (reaching an object completeness rate of 99.05%), while NeRF s best performance was 99.98%. However, NeRF suffered from noisy data, some of which may stem from its radiance field-To-point cloud conversion method. The results show that there is great potential in using specific methods for specific cases, and research in combining them may yield interesting results in the future.ISSN:1682-1750ISSN:2194-9034ISSN:1682-177

Novel Electromagnetic Sensors Embedded in Reinforced Concrete Beams for Crack Detection

This paper investigates the possibility of applying novel microwave sensors for crack detection in reinforced concrete structures. Initially, a microstrip patch antenna with a split ring resonator (SRR) structure was designed, simulated and fabricated. To evaluate the sensor&rsquo;s performance, a series of structural tests were carried out and the sensor responses were monitored. Four reinforced concrete (RC) beam specimens, designed according to the European Standards, were tested under three-point bending. The load was applied incrementally to the beams and the static responses were monitored via the use of a load cell, displacement transducers and crack width gauges (Demec studs). In parallel, signal readings from the microwave sensors, which were employed prior to the casting of the concrete and located along the neutral axis at the mid-span of the beam, were recorded at various load increments. The microwave measurements were analysed and compared with those from crack width gauges. A strong linear relationship between the crack propagation and the electromagnetic signal across the full captured spectrum was found, demonstrating the technique&rsquo;s capability and its potential for further research, offering a reliable, low-cost option for structural health monitoring (SHM)

Recent Advancements in Non-Destructive Testing Techniques for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an important aspect of the assessment of various structures and infrastructure, which involves inspection, monitoring, and maintenance to support economics, quality of life and sustainability in civil engineering. Currently, research has been conducted in order to develop non-destructive techniques for SHM to extend the lifespan of monitored structures. This paper will review and summarize the recent advancements in non-destructive testing techniques, namely, sweep frequency approach, ground penetrating radar, infrared technique, fiber optics sensors, camera-based methods, laser scanner techniques, acoustic emission and ultrasonic techniques. Although some of the techniques are widely and successfully utilized in civil engineering, there are still challenges that researchers are addressing. One of the common challenges within the techniques is interpretation, analysis and automation of obtained data, which requires highly skilled and specialized experts. Therefore, researchers are investigating and applying artificial intelligence, namely machine learning algorithms to address the challenges. In addition, researchers have combined multiple techniques in order to improve accuracy and acquire additional parameters to enhance the measurement processes. This study mainly focuses on the scope and recent advancements of the Non-destructive Testing (NDT) application for SHM of concrete, masonry, timber and steel structures