The Oral Microbiome of Site-Specific Dental Plaque in Health and Disease

According to the National Institutes of Health, dental caries is the leading chronic disease of children in the United States. Dental caries is biofilm-mediated, multifactorial and dynamic. Research using culturing techniques and high throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing unraveled the taxonomic complexity of mixed microbial communities (microbiome) in dental biofilms (plaque) and their abundance differences. However, 16S rRNA sequencing fails to resolve taxonomic assignment beyond genus level for certain taxa, which is problematic in identifying potential antagonistic species within the same genus. The presented work addressed current shortcomings in dental microbiome research. First, dental plaque samples used in this study were collected from either caries-free (PF) teeth or caries-active teeth with lesions in the enamel layer (PE). This site-specific collection method provides a better understanding of the role of specific organisms and biological processes as teeth transition from health to disease. Second, deep sequencing was used to produce whole genome metagenomic data, i.e. complete or semi complete genomes drafted from mixed bacterial communities, potentially enhancing bacterial species detection, identifying rare species, and providing the gene content of the samples and their metabolic potential. Overall, the objective of this study was to provide species level taxonomic classification and metabolic potential of mixed microbial communities in plaque collected from site-specific dentition. Two different approaches to analyze whole genome metagenomic data were used and compared. (i) Read based taxonomic classification and supervised assembly where short reads are taxonomically classified prior to genome assembly. (ii) Contig based taxonomic classification and unsupervised assembly where an assembler is used to assemble reads into contigs directly. The contigs produced are then classified taxonomically. The read based taxonomic classification and supervised assembly approach outperformed the latter in an assessment of taxonomic assignment accuracy using a mock metagenomic data set. The taxonomic profiles for PF and PE reported by both approaches were virtually identical however their distributions showed variation. The taxonomic inter-sample similarities were reflected in the gene content information as both approaches reported minor metabolic potential differences between PF and PE. Noticeably, both approaches reported significantly enriched biological processes involved in sugar transport and metabolism in PE

Population dynamics of an invasive species Carassius auratus in the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

The population dynamics of the crucian carp, Carassius auratus in the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq was studied from November 2015 to October 2016 with monthly samples collected by different fishing gears. The FAO-ICLARM Stock Assessment Tool (FiSAT II) software was used for the mathematical analysis. Length-weight relationship was calculated as W= 0.0149L3.065 for fish length 4.6 to 26.8 cm. Growth parameters L∞, K and Ø were computed as 29.1 cm, 0.51 and 2.635. The total (Z), natural (M) and fishing (F) mortalities were 2.69, 1.09 and 1.60, respectively. Exploitation rate (E) was 0.59. Length at first capture (Lc) was found to be 10.04 cm. C. auratus displayed one main pulse of annual recruitment. The relative yield per recruit analysis revealed that the exploitation rate (E) of C. auratus was higher than the biological target reference points E0.1 and equivalent to Emax. It could be concluded that the C. auratus stock in the Shatt Al-Arab River is operating nearby the exploited situation and needs some precautionary measures to avoid the overexploitation by activating the national law of fishing, exploiting and protecting aquatic resources, in particular preventing illegal fishing methods and follow up the execution of the closed season to prevent the decline of our fish resources

Population dynamics and management of two cichlid species in the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

Cichlids are invasive fish to Iraqi waters and became well established and prevailing in different waters. Despite that, there is no stock assessment study conducted for these fish. So, growth, mortality, recruitment and yield-per-recruit of two cichlid’s species; Coptodon zillii and Oreochromis aureus from the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq were evaluated from November 2015 to October 2016 using the FiSAT software. A total of 1285 C. zillii (2.9-24.0 cm TL) and 1353 O. aureus (4.5-25.0 cm TL) were examined. Length-weight relationships were derived, indicating allometric growth for both species. The growth parameters (L?, K, Rn, to and ?) obtained for C. zillii were 25.5 cm, 0.320, 0.212, -0.793 and 2.318, respectively, while for O. aureus were 27.8, 0.490, 0.214, -0.271 and 2.578, respectively. The annual rate of total mortality (Z), fishing (F) and natural (M) for C. zillii was found to be 1.51, 0.84 and 0.68 respectively, and for O. aureus 2.49, 1.08 and 1.41, respectively. The present exploitation rates (Epresent) for C. zillii and O. aureus were computed to be 0.454 and 0.57, respectively. Lengths at first capture (LC) were 12.97 cm for C. zillii and 13.25 cm for O. aureus. The peaks of recruitment of C. zillii and O. aureus were from February to May and May to July, respectively. The Epresent for C. zillii and O. aureus were below the biological target reference points (F0.1  and Fmax), indicating that these species were not overexploited. For management purposes, more yields could be obtained by an increase in the fishing activities on cichlids

Evaluation of the inland fisheries in Basrah province in Iraq during 2020-2021

The study was aimed to update the knowledge on the fish landings of the inland fisheries in Basrah province, Iraq. The species composition, species and total landings, and their trends in six landing sites throughout the study region were evaluated during the year 2020-2021. Species compositions were included seven cyprinids’ species, three cichlids’ species, three mullet’s species, and two species from sparids and silurids. The exotic species, C. carpio, tilapias species and C. auratus dominated the landings constituting 44.2% of the total catch, whereas the highly valued native species (M. sharpeyi, L. xanthopterus, C. luteus and A. grypus) forming only 12.4% of the total catch. The total landing reached 2,427.78 t in 2020 and 2,365.15 t in 2021, and these values were higher than what was recorded during the past years since the year 2009. This is due to the prevalence of aliened species and the increase in the fishing effort, such as the numbers of fishermen and fishing boats. Therefore, in fisheries management point of view, it is essential to enhance the stocks of the native species, minimize the dispersal and impacts of some exotic species, and activate the national regulating fishing, exploitation and protection of aquatic organisms to improve the inland fisheries

Improvement the voltage stability margin of Iraqi power system using the optimal values of FACTS devices

The detection of potential voltage collapse in power systems is essential to maintain the voltage stability in heavy load demand. This paper proposes a method to detect weak buses in power systems using two stability indices: the voltage stability margin factor (dS/dY) and the voltage collapse prediction index (VCPI). Hence, the paper aims to improve the voltage stability of Iraqi transmission grid by allocating FACTS devices in the optimal locations and optimal sizes. Two types of FACTS are used in this paper which are Thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC) and static var compensator (SVC). The objective function of the problem is fitted using particle swarm optimization (PSO). The proposed method is verified using simulation test on Diyala-132 kV network which is a part of the Iraqi power system. The results observed that improvement the voltage stability margin, the voltage profile of Diyala-132 kV is increased and the power losses is decreased

دور التحول الرقمي في فاعلية القرارات االستراتيجية دراسة تحليلية آلراء عينة من القيادات اإلدارية العاملة في بعض الجامعات األهلية العراقية

هدف المقال للتعرف على دور التحول الرقمي كمتغير مستقل على فاعلية القرارات االستراتيجية كمتغير معتمد, وتم اعتماد المنهج الوصفي التحليلي, لطرح الجانب النظري للبحث, وتحليل البيانات التي تم الحصول عليها وتفسيرها , فكانت استمارة االستبانة اداة رئيسة لجمع البيانات من الجامعات المبحوثة, وهي )الحدباء الجامعة / النور الجامعة, وجامعة التراث (, والعينة عشوائية قصدية, وبواقع )70( من القيادات االدارية, في الجامعات المبحوثة, ومن أهم االستنتاجات: كلما زاد امتالك القادة االداريين في الجامعات المبحوثة للتحول الرقمي كلما عزز ذلك من قدراتهم في اتخاذ قرارات استراتيجية فاعلة وتحقيق اهداف المنظمة المطلوبة، ومن اهم المقترحات هي: ضرورة قيام ادارة الجامعة المبحوثة على ديمومة نشر ثقافة التحول الرقمي بين افرادها بشكل عام وقادتها االداريين بشكل خاص من خالل رسالة فضالً عن تنظيم برامج تدريبية وورش العمل الداعمة الجامعة، لهذا المجال

Identification of known and novel long non-coding RNAs potentially responsible for the effects of BMD GWAS loci

Osteoporosis, characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), is the most common complex disease affecting bone and constitutes a major societal health problem. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified over 1100 associations influencing BMD. It has been shown that perturbations to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) influence BMD and the activities of bone cells; however, the extent to which lncRNAs are involved in the genetic regulation of BMD is unknown. Here, we combined the analysis of allelic imbalance (AI) in human acetabular bone fragments with a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) colocalization analysis using data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project to identify lncRNAs potentially responsible for GWAS associations. We identified 27 lncRNAs in bone that are located in proximity to a BMD GWAS association and harbor SNPs demonstrating AI. Using GTEx data we identified an additional 31 lncRNAs whose expression was associated (FDR correction0.1). The 58 lncRNAs are located in 43 BMD associations. To further support a causal role for the identified lncRNAs, we show that 23 of the 58 lncRNAs are differentially expressed as a function of osteoblast differentiation. Our approach identifies lncRNAs that are potentially responsible for BMD GWAS associations and suggest that lncRNAs play a role in the genetics of osteoporosis.First author draf

Photochromic properties of 1,3,3-trimethylspiro[indoline-2,3′-[3H]naphtho[2,1-b][1,4]oxazine] doped in PMMA and epoxy resin thin films

AbstractIrradiation of colorless 1,3,3-trimethylspiro[indoline-2,3′-[3H]naphtho[2,1-b][1,4]oxazine] SO doped in PMMA and epoxy resin with UV light (at 366nm) results in the formation of an intensely colored zwitterionic photomerocyanine PMC. The reverse reaction was photochemically induced by irradiation with white light. Photocoloration and photobleaching reactions follow a first-order rate equation. It was found that photocoloration rate constant of SO in PMMA film is greater than that in epoxy resin. On the other hand, the photobleaching rate constant is almost identical in both matrices. Spirooxazine doped in epoxy resin shows much better fatigue resistance than that doped in PMMA

Effect of functional exercises on the explosive ability and accuracy of shooting from outside the three-point line in advanced basketball players

The field of sports training has been modified in recent years by the revolution of science and the selection of the best and most modern methods that suit the specialized activity. The present study was based on utilizing the modern training methods in the form of functional exercises in the training schedule of the players and to see its impact on the explosive ability and accuracy of shooting from outside the three-point line in advanced basketball players. The present study was conducted on basketball players at Al-Tadamun Sports Club in Najaf Governorate in the sports season 2020-2021 within the time frame of June 2021 to August 2021. A total of 14 students were present in the research community. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups (experimental group and control group). The participants of the experimental group received training using functional exercises, whereas participants of the control group received regular training by the method used by their coach. Based on the findings of the present study, it was concluded that the training of participants of the experimental group with functional exercises contributed to the development of the accuracy of the shooting skill from outside the three-point arc of basketball