Search

Abstract Background Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has emerged as the established standard of care for the treatment of anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion (LVO). However, its benefits remain unclear in specific patient populations. Herein, we present an updated systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at thoroughly assessing the effectiveness and safety of combining EVT with medical treatment (MT) compared with MT alone. Methods This systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched to identify relevant articles published until December 30, 2023. The inclusion criteria restricted articles to randomized clinical trials (RCTs). We pooled odds ratios (OR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Fifteen RCTs involving 3897 patients were included in the study. EVT plus MT was associated with a significant reduction in disability at 90 days (OR = 1.91, [1.61–2.26]), improved functional independence (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0–2) (OR = 2.19 [1.81–2.64]), excellent functional outcomes (mRS 0–1) (OR = 2.37, [1.45–3.87]), improved independent ambulation (mRS 0–3) (OR = 2.17, [1.75–2.69]), and higher rates of partial/complete recanalization (OR = 2.18, [1.66–2.87] compared with EVT. Efficacy outcomes for both large and small infarct cores were statistically favorable following EVT. Safety outcomes showed comparable rates, except for intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which favored MT alone. Conclusion This meta-analysis supports the use of EVT plus MT as the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke patients with LVO of any infarct core size, as it offers substantial improvements in functional outcomes and recanalization. Safety considerations, particularly the risk of hemorrhage, warrant careful patient selection. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing stroke management protocols and enhancing patient outcomes.

Climate change has significant impacts on natural systems, especially in terms of altering hydrological patterns due to changing precipitation and melting snow and ice. This study examines projected changes in precipitation for central and southern Iraq under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios for the periods 2046–2065 and 2081–2100 using CMIP5 climate model HadGEM2-AO output. The results revealed that under RCP4.5, there was large spatial variation in the projected precipitation over the region during 2064-2065, ranging from as low as 27 mm in western part to as high as 1541 mm in the eastern part. The spatial variability as well as precipitation amount decreased considerably during 2081-2100 periods. Under RCP8.5 the projected precipitation was only 14-164 mm in 2046-2065 and 36-532 mm in 2081-2100 periods. Thus, under RCP8.5 scenario anticipated precipitation will be quite low.

Abstract In contrast to acute diarrhoea, the aetiology of persistent digestive disorders (≥ 14 days) is poorly understood in low-resource settings and conventional diagnostic approaches lack accuracy. In this multi-country study, we compared multiplex real-time PCR for enteric bacterial, parasitic and viral pathogens in stool samples from symptomatic patients and matched asymptomatic controls in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Nepal. Among 1826 stool samples, the prevalence of most pathogens was highest in Mali, being up to threefold higher than in Côte d’Ivoire and up to tenfold higher than in Nepal. In all settings, the most prevalent bacteria were EAEC (13.0–39.9%) and Campylobacter spp. (3.9–35.3%). Giardia intestinalis was the predominant intestinal protozoon (2.9–20.5%), and adenovirus 40/41 was the most frequently observed viral pathogen (6.3–25.1%). Significantly different prevalences between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were observed for Campylobacter, EIEC and ETEC in the two African sites, and for norovirus in Nepal. Multiple species pathogen infection was common in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, but rarely found in Nepal. We observed that molecular testing detected multiple enteric pathogens and showed low discriminatory accuracy to distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Yet, multiplex PCR allowed for direct comparison between different countries and revealed considerable setting-specificity.

Biochar was produced by pyrolysing palm tree bark biomass at 500 °C for the removal of rhodamine B (RhB) and metronidazole (MET). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses were used to characterize the biochar. The biochar obtained was crystalline, mesoporous (SBET: 189.157 m2 g−1; pore diameter: 2.207 nm), clustered with prominent O–H and C = O functional groups. The pHpzc of the biochar was 7.98, and it adsorbed RhB and MET maximally at pH 3.4 and 7.2, respectively. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms described RhB and MET adsorption, respectively, with maximum adsorption capacities (qmax) of 31.81–224.30 mg/g for RhB and 95.44–26.76 mg/g for MET from 303 to 313 K. Both adsorbates exhibit favourable physisorption processes with pseudo-second-order kinetics, as the most appropriate. The thermodynamic parameter (−ΔG°) demonstrates spontaneous adsorption processes for RhB and MET, with spontaneity increasing with temperature for RhB and decreasing with increasing temperature for MET. The adsorption process was endothermic (+ΔH°) for RhB and exothermic (−ΔH°) for MET. Given its reusability of 96 and 95% for RhB and MET, respectively, mesoporous biochar derived from palm trees is a more promising adsorbent. HIGHLIGHTS Biochar was prepared from palm tree biomass and characterized to be mesoporous and crystalline.; Adsorption of rhodamine B and metronidazole followed Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, respectively.; Adsorption capacities increased from 31.81 to 224.30 mg/g for RhB and decreased from 95.44 to 26.76 mg/g for MET with temperature.; The kinetics of both adsorption processes followed pseudo-second order.; Adsorption was spontaneous.;

The World Health Organization guidelines for verification of onchocerciasis elimination include demonstrating that the prevalence of exposure to the parasite in individuals born since transmission was interrupted needs to be less than 0.1%. The guidelines recommend using seropositivity to an Onchocerca volvulus specific antigen (Ov16) for this purpose. Ov16 seropositivity has most often been assessed using the Ov16 ELISA assay. Currently, the Ov16 ELISA assay includes internal positive and negative controls to monitor for proper assay performance but does not control for the quality of the dried blood spots (DBS) being tested. Previous studies have reported a high prevalence of antibodies recognizing Escherichia coli in children. Through the development of an ELISA assay to detect antibodies recognizing E. coli, a common commensal in humans, DBS may be prescreened for quality assurance prior to testing for Ov16. Results demonstrated antibodies to E. coli were detected in 100% of randomly selected serum samples collected from O. volvulus infected individuals residing in an onchocerciasis hyperendemic area. Furthermore, when DBS were improperly stored, the E. coli antibodies were found to decay over a period of one week, while remaining unchanged over the same period in properly stored samples. Similarly, E. coli antibodies were detected in 100% of a batch of field collected properly stored DBS, while being present only in 5% of a batch of improperly stored spots. This study demonstrates the value of E. coli ELISA for DBS quality control testing and validation of proper storage of collections of DBS for the Ov16 ELISA.

BackgroundStroke is a significant global cause of mortality and long-term disability, potentially influenced by infections that heighten systemic inflammation and thrombotic events. The full impact of influenza vaccination on stroke remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between influenza immunization and stroke incidence.MethodsWe searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), case–control, and cohort studies published in PubMed/Medline, Cochrane-Central-Register-of-Controlled-Trials (CENTRAL), and Embase until 5 December 2022, and identified articles investigating the effect of influenza vaccine on stroke occurrence. All articles were screened by two independent reviewers. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the risk of stroke occurrence in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals. The random-effects model was used in all statistical analyses.ResultsAmong the 26 articles meeting our criteria, 10 were retrospective cohort studies, 9 were case–control studies, 3 were prospective cohort studies, 3 were RCTs and 1 case-series. Overall, the studies showed a significant decrease in the risk of stroke incidence/hospitalization among vaccinated patients (OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.77–0.86], p = 0.00001). Furthermore, studies showed flu vaccine decreases the occurrence of mortality among stroke patients (OR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.37–0.68], p = 0.00001). Sub-group analysis revealed significant protective effect for patients with specific comorbidities including atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.57–0.81], p = 0.0001), diabetes (OR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.66–0.87], p = 0.0001), Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.61–0.81], p = 0.00001), and hypertension (OR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.70–83], p = 0.00001).ConclusionThe current meta-analysis further supports prior findings that influenza vaccination reduces stroke risk, particularly in patients with comorbidities. Guidelines should promote vaccination for at-risk individuals.

BackgroundOnchocerca volvulus is a filarial parasite that is a major cause of dermatitis and blindness in endemic regions primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Widespread efforts to control the disease caused by O. volvulus infection (onchocerciasis) began in 1974 and in recent years, following successful elimination of transmission in much of the Americas, the focus of efforts in Africa has moved from control to the more challenging goal of elimination of transmission in all endemic countries. Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin has reached more than 150 million people and elimination of transmission has been confirmed in four South American countries, with at least two African countries having now stopped MDA as they approach verification of elimination. It is essential that accurate data for active transmission are used to assist in making the critical decision to stop MDA, since missing low levels of transmission and infection can lead to continued spread or recrudescence of the disease.Methodology/principal findingsCurrent World Health Organization guidelines for MDA stopping decisions and post-treatment surveillance include screening pools of the Simulium blackfly vector for the presence of O. volvulus larvae using a PCR-ELISA-based molecular technique. In this study, we address the potential of an updated, practical, standardized molecular diagnostic tool with increased sensitivity and species-specificity by comparing several candidate qPCR assays. When paired with heat-stable reagents, a qPCR assay with a mitochondrial DNA target (OvND5) was found to be more sensitive and species-specific than an O150 qPCR, which targets a non-protein coding repetitive DNA sequence. The OvND5 assay detected 19/20 pools of 100 blackfly heads spiked with a single L3, compared to 16/20 for the O150 qPCR assay.Conclusions/significanceGiven the improved sensitivity, species-specificity and resistance to PCR inhibitors, we identified OvND5 as the optimal target for field sample detection. All reagents for this assay can be shipped at room temperature with no loss of activity. The qPCR protocol we propose is also simpler, faster, and more cost-effective than the current end-point molecular assays.

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality. HbA1c remains one of the most important methods for diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. Since HbA1c is a reflection of the glucose attached to red blood cells, factors affecting hemoglobin and red blood cells’ half-life can influence HbA1c measurements. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effect of different types of anemia including iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, β -thalassemia trait, and megaloblastic anemia on HbA1c levels in a tertiary hospital over the past 6 years (2016–2022). Method This is a retrospective chart review study of 324 patients including those with one of the four types of anemia mentioned above and a control group. The control group were healthy adults with normal HbA1c and hemoglobin, who were not known to have diabetes or anemia. Patients with diabetes or prediabetes based on self-reporting or elevated fasting, random blood sugar, or 2 hours post-prandial blood glucose were excluded. Results The mean HbA1c levels were significantly higher in sickle cell anemia at 5.83% (95% CI = 5.39–6.28) and in iron deficiency anemia at 5.75% (95% CI = 5.68–5.82) when compared to the control group at 5.32% (95% CI = 5.22–5.41). However, the mean HbA1c levels in megaloblastic anemia were 5.38% (95% CI = 5.26–5.5) and 5.45% (95% CI = 5.21–5.69) in beta thalassemia trait, which were not significantly different when compared to the control group. HbA1c significantly decreased from 5.75 to 5.44% after treatment in the iron-deficient group with a p-value of

Plant growth regulators (PGR), also known as plant hormones, are a variety of chemical compounds that have a significant impact on the development and differentiation of plant cells. This work aimed to study the effect of various combinations of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) for example [6-Benzyladenine (BA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyaceticg acid (2,4-D), Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indol-3-ylbutyric acid (IBA)] on callus induction and shoot regeneration from anther culture of S1 progenies resulted from Manfalouty cultivar open pollinated. The results showed that highest value of percentage of callus induction was 10.6% on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg / l of NAA and 2 mg / l of BA also highest value of percentage of shoot formation 60 % on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/ l of NAA and 2 mg /l of BA.

Background: Immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases in children characterized by a decreased number of circulating platelets combined with impaired platelet production. There is limited literature data on the prevalence and treatment modalities, and outcome of ITP in children from Lebanon. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the demographic and clinical data of 59 patients aged 0–18 years diagnosed with ITP between January 2007 and April 2016 in different hospitals in Beirut and the south of Lebanon. Results: ITP patients represented 2.5% of the total number of children admitted to these hospitals during this period. Among the ITP children, 55.93% were male and 44.07% were female. The greatest number of ITP children were in the 1–4 year group, followed by the 5–9 year group. As for the clinical course of the disease, 40.68% of the ITP children presented acute ITP, whereas 59.32% presented chronic ITP. Among the different therapeutic approaches adopted to treat these ITP children, intravenous immunoglobulin was the most commonly used, followed by steroids, a combination of these both agents, cyclosporine, and splenectomy. Interestingly, these therapeutic modalities induced a statistically significant increase in the patients’ platelet count. In addition, the clinical course of ITP was not significantly associated with each of the age group, the platelet count at diagnosis, and gender of patients. Conclusion:This study showed the prevalence of ITP among children from Lebanon, where more than half of ITP children presented a chronic disease. Further studies are needed to evaluate additional predictors of chronic ITP among children from Lebanon and help medical providers make informed decisions about treating childhood ITP. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2022-04-04-02 Full Text: PDF

The goal of this paper is to study the effects of gamma irradiation and samples’ aging on the AC-electrical properties of hybrid epoxy resin as a function of frequency, temperature, and (zinc oxide) ZnO content (0, 0.049, 0.099, 0.149, and 0.199 wt) at 0.001 wt of conductive (carbon black) CB nanoparticles. The irradiation processes were administered at room temperature in a gamma chamber utilizing a Cobalt 60 source of average energy = 1.25 MeV with doses = 100, 750, and 1000 Gy. The AC-electrical properties, including the impedance, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, conductivity, and activation energy of the nanocomposites, were initially studied after years of sample preparations. The collected empirical data were later analyzed before and after the gamma irradiation. The results showed that exposing samples to different doses of gamma radiation affects these AC-electrical properties significantly. It was found that the energy gap decreased as the dosage of gamma radiation increased. This could be explained as the gamma-irradiation processes induce changes in the structure of the epoxy hybrid nanocomposites by reinforcing the metal–polymer bonding and hence, causing the release of more free electrons inside the hybrid nanocomposites. Moreover, the sample aging results showed that the AC-electrical conductivity decreased with time for all samples. Hence, this study demonstrated why the γ-irradiation technique can be considered a powerful way to treat, recover, and/or enhance the electrical features of the tested epoxy hybrid nanocomposites.

The effects of gamma radiation on the AC electrical properties of highly cross-linked epoxy resin/bisphenol A-based polycarbonate samples have been investigated as a function of concentrations of bisphenol A-based polycarbonate, frequency, and temperature. The composite samples contained different bisphenol A-based polycarbonate concentrations of 0, 4, 8, 10, and 15 by wt%. The gamma irradiation process was performed at different gamma doses of 0, 100, 300, and 500 Gy. The AC electrical properties of the tested samples were studied before and after gamma irradiation within a frequency range of 200 kHz to 1 MHz. The results show that after irradiation, a consistent decrease in complex impedance values (Z∗) was observed, indicating an increase in conductivity due to radiation-induced scission of the composite structure. Dielectric properties, including the dielectric constant (εr) and dielectric loss (εi), exhibited an increase with higher doses and higher polycarbonate concentrations, signifying the formation of defect sites and charge carrier trapping. AC electrical conductivity (σac) displayed a notable rise post irradiation, with temperatures ranging from 30 °C to 110 °C, and higher radiation doses and higher temperatures led to increased conductivity. The activation energy ( Ea) decreased as the radiation dose increased, reflecting structural modifications induced by radiation.

Abstract The present study includes the analysis of the morphological change in the Iraqi coastline in Khor Abdullah and the entrance to the Shatt Al-Arab (Al-Ruka Channel), as the northwestern region of the Arabian Gulf is exposed to different erosion and depositions due to the suspended sedimentary load, The comparison between the periods studied showed severe erosion in some coastal areas and depositions in other parts, which led to changes in the shape and extension of the barriers or the sedimentary tongues and made them prominent, especially in the shallow sites (shoals) areas at the entrance to Khor Abdullah and Khor Shaitanah, and those changed parts appear in the maps of the British Admiralty, which draw detailed curves surrounding the varying depths. The extension of the suspended sedimentary load at the head of the Arabian Gulf amounted to 11,014 km2 in the year 2003, which expanded in 2011 to 12,680 km2, by adding suspended sediments of about 1,676 km2 to 6,452,600 tons over 8 years, at a rate of 806.575 tons annually, or 8.5% of the volume of suspended sediments in 1996 due to the decrease of the river flows from the Tigris, Euphrates, and Karun. The line of the lowest tide (zero line) showed a change in the cross-section of the Iraqi waterway lines that it shares with Iran and Kuwait, affecting the location of the approved border line between Iraq and Kuwait, and the largest change was in the width of the entrance to the Shatt Al-Arab (Al-Ruka Channel), and this was influenced by the erosion, sedimentation patterns, and deflection of tidal currents, as well as the temporary effect of port activities in Khor Abdullah. The extension of Abdullah’s Marqat at Ras Al-Bishah reached 15.5 km in 2003, its extension became 17.2 km in 2019 with a varying range of 1.7 km in 16 years, which has increased at lower rates in recent years due to the decrease in the sedimentary load of rivers to legalize water releases. The maximum change in Khor Abdullah in the middle part was 453 meters, which is a contraction in favor of Kuwait at a rate of 453 meters, and in the middle of the Al-Ruka Channel with an average width of 403 meters in favor of Iran, expansion in favor of Iraq was at a rate of 152 and 42 meters at the entrance and middle of Khor Shaitana.

Climate change has significant impacts on natural systems, especially in terms of altering hydrological patterns due to changing precipitation and melting snow and ice. This study examines projected changes in precipitation for central and southern Iraq under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios for the periods 2046-2065 and 2081-2100 using CMIP5 climate model HadGEM2-AO output. The results revealed that under RCP4.5, there was large spatial variation in the projected precipitation over the region during 2064-2065, ranging from as low as 27 mm in western part to as high as 1541 mm in the eastern part. The spatial variability as well as precipitation amount decreased considerably during 2081-2100 periods. Under RCP8.5 the projected precipitation was only 14-164 mm in 2046-2065 and 36-532 mm in 2081-2100 periods. Thus, under RCP8.5 scenario anticipated precipitation will be quite low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe World Health Organization defined electronic health as “the unified usage of information technology and electronic communications in the health sector.” In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, outpatient encounters were largely shifted to virtual clinics due to the crisis caused by COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the neurology consultants', specialists', and residents' experience and perception of utilizing virtual services for neurological assessment in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted by sending an anonymous online survey to neurologists and neurology residents in Saudi Arabia. The survey was developed by the authors and contained three main sections: demographics, subspecialty and years of experience after residency, and virtual clinics during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.ResultA total of 108 neurology-practicing physicians in Saudi Arabia responded to the survey. Overall, 75% experienced virtual clinics, and 61% of them used phones for consultation. In neurology clinical practice, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) regarding the teleconsultations for follow-up patients compared to the newly referred patients, being more suitable for the follow-up cases. Additionally, most neurology practicing physicians showed more confidence in performing history-taking tasks virtually (82.4%) than in physical examination. However, it was found that consultants were significantly (P < 0.03) more confident to virtually perform the cranial nerve, motor, coordination, and extrapyramidal assessments than the neurology residents. Physicians deemed it more suitable to conduct teleconsultations for patients with headaches and epilepsy than for those with neuromuscular and demyelinating diseases/multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, they agreed that patients' experiences (55.6%) and physicians' acceptance (55.6%) were the two main limitations to implementing virtual clinics.DiscussionThis study revealed that neurologists were more confident in performing history-taking in virtual clinics than in physical exams. On the contrary, consultants were more confident in handling the physical examination virtually than the neurology residents. Moreover, the most accepted clinics to be handled electronically were the headache and epilepsy clinics in comparison to the other subspecialties, being mainly diagnosed using history. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to observe the level of confidence in performing different duties in neurology virtual clinics.

The electronic effects electron donating and withdrawing groups R on the properties of N-(4-R-phenyl)-N'-(4-nitrophenyl)oxamito zincate(II) complexes was investigated featuring R = Me (a), H (b), F (c), Cl (d) and Br (e). The N-(4-R-phenyl)-N'-(4-nitrophenyl)oxamide ligands 2 were synthesized by reacting ethyl 4-nitrooxanilate with the respective 4-substituted anilines. Subsequent treatment with [nBu4N]OH and [Zn(OAc)2(H2O)2] gave the respective zincate complexes [nBu4N]2[Zn(N-(4-nitrophenyl)-N'-(4-substituted phenyl)oxamides)2] (3). Spectroscopic methods were used to describe compounds 2a–e and 3a–e. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of 3a–c in the solid state. The tetrahedral coordination sphere of the zinc (II) ion features four amide nitrogen donor atoms based on two ethanediamide ligands. The UV–Vis spectra of Complexes 3a–e display a characteristic LLCT (π → π *) band, which was confirmed by TD-DFT calculations. DFT calculations show that the Zn(II) orbitals do not contribute to the HOMO or LUMO, with the latter being primarily found on the two 4-nitrophenyl rings for compounds 3a − e, while the HOMO-1 and HOMO are located on the 4-substituted phenyl rings. Notably, HOMO and LUMO energies and gabs do not differ significantly. Transitions from HOMO to LUMO + 1 are the most important for all ligands. The luminescence properties of solid compounds 3a − e were also investigated at 298 K. Solid state photoluminescence studies reveal that these complexes emit strong yellow-orange luminescence at 450–600 nm with a maximum at about ∼ 500 nm in the cyan region. Furthermore, the thermal stabilities of compounds 3a − e have been investigated.

This retrospective case-control study evaluated the diagnostic performance of a commercially available chest radiography deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) in identifying the presence and position of central venous catheters, enteric tubes, and endotracheal tubes, in addition to a subgroup analysis of different types of lines/tubes. A held-out test dataset of 2568 studies was sourced from community radiology clinics and hospitals in Australia and the USA, and was then ground-truth labelled for the presence, position, and type of line or tube from the consensus of a thoracic specialist radiologist and an intensive care clinician. DCNN model performance for identifying and assessing the positioning of central venous catheters, enteric tubes, and endotracheal tubes over the entire dataset, as well as within each subgroup, was evaluated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was assessed. The DCNN algorithm displayed high performance in detecting the presence of lines and tubes in the test dataset with AUCs > 0.99, and good position classification performance over a subpopulation of ground truth positive cases with AUCs of 0.86–0.91. The subgroup analysis showed that model performance was robust across the various subtypes of lines or tubes, although position classification performance of peripherally inserted central catheters was relatively lower. Our findings indicated that the DCNN algorithm performed well in the detection and position classification of lines and tubes, supporting its use as an assistant for clinicians. Further work is required to evaluate performance in rarer scenarios, as well as in less common subgroups.

This study reports the effects of gamma radiation on the AC electrical properties of epoxy nano-silica composite sheets with an average thickness of 3 mm. Epoxy reinforced with different nano-silica concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The epoxy nano-silica composites were exposed to different gamma radiation dosages of 1, 3, and 5 kGy. The data were analyzed before and after gamma irradiation and the results showed that the AC electrical properties of the gamma-irradiated epoxy nano-silica composites varied from those of the non-irradiated samples. We found that there were significant changes in the impedance, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and AC electrical conductivity values of the epoxy nano-silica composites after irradiation, and the AC electrical conductivity and dielectric constant values of the nano-silica composites were enhanced by exposing the samples to gamma radiation because more free electrons were released inside the epoxy nano-silica composites. The AC electrical properties, such as impedance, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and electrical conductivity, of the epoxy nano-silica composites were studied and discussed before and after gamma radiation with different dosages. We found that these AC electrical properties marginally increased with increasing doses of gamma irradiation.

Many stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, conglomerate, rhyolite, basalt, mica schist, and quartzite. The current studied stone tools were used by ancient humans as pestles, querns, scrapers, and knives. The present study showed that these tools were transported from outside the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia. A stone tool at the archaeological site of Al-Dalmaj indicates that there were some trade routes that connected this site with its surrounding; in addition to the economic, and that might occurred cultural exchanges during the Neolithic Period.

In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation on the optical properties of thin films of polymer electrolytes was investigated. The thin films were composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) doped with different concentrations of potassium iodide (KI) salt. The optical absorption spectrum of each film was measured using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer over a range of 300 to 800 nm. The PEO thin-film samples were subjected to gamma irradiation at two different doses of 100 and 200 Gy generated by a Co-60 source. It was found that the optical properties of the thin films were significantly influenced by the KI dopant concentration and gamma irradiation. Increasing both the KI concentration and the gamma irradiation dose resulted in a reduction in the energy gap and an increase in the absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, refractive index, and dielectric constant of the PEO electrolyte. These findings have potential applications in the optimization of polymers for use in optical devices and energy storage systems.

The current study reveals the concentration of heavy metals in sediment, water, and three fish species of the Korotoa River in Bangladesh. Two diverse seasons, namely wet (August–September 2021) and dry (January–February 2022) were chosen to compare the seasonal differences of five concerning heavy metals (Cr, Co, Pb, As, and Cd) adjacent to coal mining area using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Different physicochemical parameters of water quality along with the concentration of heavy metals varied significantly with the seasons. However, the average concentrations of the examined heavy metals followed the downward order of Cr > Pb > As > Co > Cd for both wet and dry seasons. The mean concentration of heavy metals in fish was found higher in Mastacembelus armatus compared with Labeo bata and Amblypharyngodon mola. The values of the researched heavy metals' enrichment factors were reported in the following order: As > Co > Cr > Cd. The pollution load index (PLI) specified that the sediment of the river under study was not seriously contaminated (PLI <1). However, the content of heavy metals in the water was discovered to be much greater than the standards for safe drinking water limits and the preservation of freshwater aquatic life, demonstrating that the river water from this area is unsafe for use as drinking water or for cooking. However, the study suggests relevant authorities should take necessary action to stop further pollution in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic analysis of the Makhool dam using Geo-studio software is presented in this paper for the purpose of investigating the seismic behavior of earth dams. With emphasis on the dam's height, soil characteristics, and input motion, this study examines the effect of earthquake excitation on the dam's behavior. With input from the SEEP/W program, the analysis was conducted using the QUAKE/W program. In this study, the horizontal component of motion was taken at three different values: 0.04g, 0.06g, and 0.08g. In addition to total stress in x-direction and y-direction, pore water pressure, and x-displacement, the results were presented in figures. Study findings showed that the horizontal displacement and shear strain of the dam increased with dam height, with the maximum displacement of the dam equal to 94 cm at the end of the earthquake. Besides the type of dam soil, the acceleration of the dam was also affected by the strength of the soil, since weaker soil reduced the acceleration of the dam. The pore-water pressure at the dam's base was the highest, with the horizontal movement increasing with depth. In earthquake zones, seismic evaluation is vital for dam construction, and the research provides valuable advice for designing and building earth dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]