Calculation of Electron Swarm Parameters in Tetrafluoromethane

The electron swarm parameters and electron energy distribution function (EEDF) are necessary, especially onunderstanding quantitatively plasma phenomena and ionized gases. The EEDF and electron swarm parameters including the reduce effective ionization coefficient (α-η)/N (α and η are the ionization and attachment coefficient, respectively), electron drift velocity, electron mean energy, characteristic energy, density  normalized longitudinal diffusion coefficient, and density normalized electron mobility in tetrafluoromethane (CF4) which was analyzed and calculated using the two-term approximation of the Boltzmann equation method at room temperature, over a range of the reduced electric field strength (E/N) between 0.1 and 1000 Td(1Td=10-17 V.cm2), where E is the electric field and N is the gas density of the gas. The calculations required cross-sections of the electron beam, thus published momentum transfer, vibration, electronic excitation, ionization, and attachment cross-sections for CF4 were used, the results of the Boltzmann equation in a good agreement with experimental and theoretical values over the entire range of E/N. In all cases, negative differential conductivity regions were found. It is found that the calculated EEDF closes to Maxwellian distribution and decreases sharply at low E/N. The low energy part of EEDF flats and the high-energy tail of EEDF increases with increase E/N. The EEDF found to be non-Maxwellian when the E/N> 10Td, havingenergy variations which reflect electron/molecule energy exchange processes. In addition, limiting field strength (E/N)limit has been calculated from the plots of (α-η)/N, for which the ionization exactlybalances the electron attachment, which is valid for the analysis of insulation characteristics and application to power equipment

Covid-19 Vaccines in Iraq

المقدمة    ان ظهور فايروس كورونا الجديد ("SARS-CoV-2") في أواخر عام 2019 هدد العالم بأسره و بدأ العلماء في جميع أنحاء العالم بالبحث عن الأنشطة البيولوجية للفايروس. خلال فترة قياسية غير مسبوقة لم تتجاوز العام الواحد، تمكن العلماء من تطوير عدد من اللقاحات الآمنة والفعالة، والتي تم اختبارها على عشرات الآلاف من المتطوعين حول العالم. أعدت شركات مختلفة العديد من اللقاحات وقليل منها حصل على موافقة طارئة من قبل إدارة الغذاء والدواء ويستخدم في بلدان مختلفة.  تهدف الدراسة الحالية الى وصف اللقاحات, تركيبها, وسلامتها.  في العراق ، تُستخدم ثلاثة لقاحات (لقاح فايزر بيونتيك ولقاح أسترازينيكا أكسفورد ولقاح سينوفارم) لتطعيم الناس. أظهرت جميع اللقاحات المستخدمة فعالية متفاوتة مع عيارية الأجسام المضادة المختلفة. ان اللقاح المثالي يجب أن يكون رخيصاً وقائياً ويمنع التشوهات الخلقية ويقاوم المرض ويقضي عليه ويجب ان يكون  فعالاً في كل الأعمار و في ظروف صحية مختلفة وتأثيره يستمر لفترة طويلة. الاستنتاجات: يبدو أن لقاح Pfizer Biontech مفضل من قبل العراقيين لأنه يعطي أعلى عيارية للأجسام المضادة بالإضافة إلى توفره واستخدامه العالمي مقارنة باللقاحات الآخرى.The emergence of the new corona virus ("SARS-CoV-2") in the late 2019 threatened the whole world and scientists throughout the word began searching for biological activities of the virus , During an unprecedented record period that did not exceed one year,  scientists were able to develop a number of safe and effective vaccines  , which have been tested on tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.  Different companies prepared many vaccines and few of them get emergency approval by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used in different countries. The aim of the current study is to describe COVID 19 vaccines, structures, efficacy and safety  used in Iraq. Three vaccines (Pfizer,Biontech vaccine, AstraZenica,Oxford vaccine and Sinopharm,vaccine) are used to vaccinate people. All used vaccines showed variable effectiveness with different antibody titers. The ideal vaccine should be cheap, prophylactic, prevent congenital abnormalities, control the disease and eradicate it and be effective at all ages, at different health conditions and its effect is its effect lasts for a long time

Preparation and Characterization of Organic Nanoparticles of Oxadiazole Derivative in Aqueous Media

A novel  oxadiazole derivative, 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole (Z)-4-((1-(5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)prop-1-en-2-yl)amino)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one (HOPA) was synthesized from reaction of (Z)-3-[(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amino]but-2-enehydrazide, with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde in the presence of iodine as catalyst .The structure of HOPA was characterized by using IR,1H-NMR and mass spectroscopy. Nanoparticles of the prepared compound HOPA have been fabricated in aqueous media using re-precipitation method. Characterizations of the organic nanoparticles (ONPs) have been performed by using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The HOPA NPs were approximately monodisperse even without using capping agent or surfactant. The size of the nanoparticles were around 150-200 nm as indicated by SEM. The maximum of absorption spectrum of the dispersed nanoparticles is red shifted by 5 nm from the molecular absorption spectra of the HOPA in the solution, which indicate head to head alignment (J aggregate) of the molecules of HOPA during the aggregation. The well dispersed organic nanoparticles in aqueous media holds potential application in future to be used as a tag for biomedical imagining. Keywords: Nanoscience, Organic Nanoparticle, Reprecipitation, Oxdiazoles

First insight into the drug resistance pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Dohuk, Iraq: Using spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR to characterize multidrug resistant strains

SummaryThe objectives of this study were to determine drug resistance pattern in new and previously treated tuberculosis (TB) patients, to assess function of TB control program, and to characterize multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) by molecular fingerprinting methods. Anti-micorbial susceptibility testing (AST) to the first line anti-TB drugs was performed on Löwenstein–Jensen (middlebrook 7H10) medium according to the proportion method. Molecular fingerprinting of all MDR strains was performed by spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR. Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were isolated from 53 Iraqi patients with pulmonary TB. Thirty eight patients (71.7%) tested cases, and 15 (28.3%) were previously treated. Four of the 38 new cases (10.5%) had resistant, of which 3 (7.9%) were MDR. Eight (53.3%) of the 15 previously treated patients had resistant strains, of which 7 (46.7%) were MDR. Spoligotyping of MDR strains showed CAS family (40%) as the predominant genotype. Using MIRU-VNTR typing, all isolates had a unique profile. MDR-TB prevalence is higher among previously treated patients than among the new cases. The many drug resistant strains, in absence of evidence of recent transmission and in combination with the many previously treated cases, highlight the need for an improved control program, coupled with a need to improve detection rate and early diagnosis of MDR-TB

Homogeneous Photocatalytic Degradation of Acid Alizarin Black Using Hydrogen Peroxide

Photocatalytic degradation of acid alizarin black (AAB) dye (C.I. 21725) in aqueous solution was investigated using UV light in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a catalyst at different operating conditions. The operating conditions were concentration of catalyst dosage (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mL of 30 % H2O2), initial concentration of AAB dye (100, 150 and 200 mg/L) and pH (3.3, 6.84 and 10.8). It was found that the increasing of catalyst concentration enhanced the dye decolourisation. Hydrogen peroxide exerted positive effects on the AAB removal whilst the initial concentration of AAB negatively affected its removal. It was also found that the removal efficiency of AAB increased with the pH value close to neutral (pH 7), while a reversed trend was observed at acidic and basic medium

A de novo marker chromosome derived from 9p in a patient with 9p partial duplication syndrome and autism features: genotype-phenotype correlation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies focusing on candidate genes and chromosomal regions identified several copy number variations (CNVs) associated with increased risk of autism or autism spectrum disorders (ASD).</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We describe a 17-year-old girl with autism, severe mental retardation, epilepsy, and partial 9p duplication syndrome features in whom GTG-banded chromosome analysis revealed a female karyotype with a marker chromosome in 69% of analyzed metaphases. Array CGH analysis showed that the marker chromosome originated from 9p24.3 to 9p13.1 with a gain of 38.9 Mb. This mosaic 9p duplication was detected only in the proband and not in the parents, her four unaffected siblings, or 258 ethnic controls. Apart from the marker chromosome, no other copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in the patient or her family. Detailed analysis of the duplicated region revealed: i) an area extending from 9p22.3 to 9p22.2 that was previously identified as a critical region for the 9p duplication syndrome; ii) a region extending from 9p22.1 to 9p13.1 that was previously reported to be duplicated in a normal individual; and iii) a potential ASD locus extending from 9p24.3 to 9p23. The ASD candidate locus contained 34 genes that may contribute to the autistic features in this patient.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We identified a potential ASD locus (9p24.3 to 9p23) that may encompass gene(s) contributing to autism or ASD.</p

Occurrence of Tomato Leaf Miner Tuta Absoluta Meyrick(Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae) in Duhok Region (A)

The aim of this work is to investigate the population density and infestation percentage of Tuta absoluta on tomato crop Lycopersicum esculentumMill under field conditions in three locations at Duhok province/ Kurdistan region/ northern of Iraq in 2012. The average number of mines/ leaflet, larvae/ leaf and larvae/ fruit during the study season were 2.33, 0.34 and 0.61 respectively. The results showed a significant differences in infestation percentage and number of male per trap among the three locations. The highest percentage of infestation was recorded in September as 74.00, 72.00 and 60.00 for Summel, Shekhan and Zawita respectively. The maximum number of males/ trap/ week was 1205.40 recorded on 26/8/2012 in Summel. Concerning the use of pheromone trap for pest monitoring, linear regression analysis results was significant between trap catches and the number of mines per leaf and the infestation rate of leave

Bending experiment on a novel configuration of composite system using rebar as shear connectors with partially encased cold-formed steel built-up beams

In order to achieve greater ductility and strength, as well as to produce a more economical design, a novel composite beam and floor system have been developed to achieve higher strength and ductility, as well as to yield a more economical design purpose. This paper has put focus on this newly developed composite beam system which consists of a profiled metal decking slab made with self-compacting concrete (SCC). It has been joined cold-formed steel (CFS) built-up beams. These beams have been infilled with SCC by means of U-shaped rebar used as shear connectors. The researcher, in order to construct an open section, put together two CFS C-lipped channel sections in a back-to-back formation, and to construct a closed section, the formation was made to be toe-to-toe. The flexural behaviour of the partly encased composite beam was evaluated through experimentation by the researchers. So that the researchers could observe the failure modes and flexural capacity of the construction, a four-point bending test procedure was performed on two samples taking into consideration both closed and open built-up beam sections. The results of the test demonstrated that the open sections were able to exhibit a 24 percent higher ultimate moment capacity as well as greater stiffness and higher vertical deflection. As can be seen from the results of the experimental bending test, the built-up design had a great impact on the capacity and deflection of the section, and the section that was encased was able to reach the ultimate strength when the proposed shear connector was placed in the composite action. In order to validate the present test results, the design and analysis of the new composite beams have been evaluated

Separation of four cationic surfactants on silica gel 60 F254 high performance thin-layer chromatographic plates

The chromatography of four cationic surfactants was performed on silica high performance thin-layer plates with mixed solvent system of methanol and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The resolution of a mixture of Benzyltrimethylammonium chloride (BTAC), Dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB), and Methyltrioctylammonium bromide (MTOB) was achieved by using methanol:5% aqueous EDTA (7:3,v=v) as a solvent system. The effect of concentration of EDTA on the mobility of all the four cationic surfactants was examined. The limit of detection of BTAC, DTAC, TBAB, and MTOB estimated was 0.65, 0.15, 0.15, and 0.31 lg=zone, respectively. The developed method was utilized to identify these surfactants in different spiked water samples after their preliminary separation

Effect of the COVID-19 Vaccine on the Menstrual Cycle among Females in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The number of reports of menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination in the Saudi population is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine(Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna) on the menstrual cycle among females in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) from August 2021 to February 2022. Data was collected through a previously validated online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 2338 participants who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine participated in this study; 1606 (68.7%) of them received the second dose in addition to the first. The mean age of the study participants was 35.4±9.5 years. No significant associations were found between the type of COVID-19 vaccine and the impact on the menstrual cycle, either for the first or second dose (P-values &gt; 0.05). A significant association was found only between the first dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the second question of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was” (P-value ≤ 0.05). Significant associations were found between the second dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the first and second questions of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was”, and “After receiving the first dose, your next period was," respectively (P-values ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study found a potential association between the COVID-19 vaccine and menstrual cycle irregularities, which could impact females' quality of life