Mosul Dam is an earth fill dam located on the River Tigris northern part of Iraq. The capacity of its reservoir is 11.11 billion cubic meters which makes it the fourth biggest dam in the Middle East. From geological p...Mosul Dam is an earth fill dam located on the River Tigris northern part of Iraq. The capacity of its reservoir is 11.11 billion cubic meters which makes it the fourth biggest dam in the Middle East. From geological perspective, the dam is located on double plunging anticlines. The rocks of the site are mainly composed of highly jointed and karistified alternating beds of limestones, gysum and marls, since the impoundment of the reservoir seepage of water was recognized under the foundation of the dam. To stop or minimize the seepage, intensive grouting operations were conducted. Recent investigations and evaluation of the conditions of the dam indicate that it is in a critical situation. In this paper, consequences of the dam failure are discussed and possible solutions are given.展开更多
To the editor,We would like to share our feedback on the publication“Is China ready for monkeypox?”.1 Wei documented the wide range of clinical prob-lems associated with monkeypox.Wei mentioned that it is necessary ...To the editor,We would like to share our feedback on the publication“Is China ready for monkeypox?”.1 Wei documented the wide range of clinical prob-lems associated with monkeypox.Wei mentioned that it is necessary to strengthen the prevention method against monkeypox.Usually,in addition to a fever,the patient with monkeypox has a skin problem,usually vesicula lesions.However,it is possible that neither a fever nor a skin lesion is present in a patient with monkeypox.2 According to a recent report by Benites-Zapata et al.,the meta-analysis results showed that rash occurs in 93%and fever in 72%of patients with mon-keypox.3 Without the atypical appearance of lesions,the doctor can fail to identify the issue and incorrectly diagnose the disease.4 In addition,the general laboratory inquiry is commonly based on the evaluation of crust or vesicle clinical samples.Therefore,it is clear that skin lesion is considered to be a typical clinical problem in almost all published re-ports.It is important to recognize that some patients display only odd symptoms,such as gastrointestinal and neurological conditions.展开更多
Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has recorded a boom production the last decades and its main productive zone is inside the tropics that meet the best biophysical conditions. Investors as well as geospatial practiti...Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has recorded a boom production the last decades and its main productive zone is inside the tropics that meet the best biophysical conditions. Investors as well as geospatial practitioners are increasingly interested on the best growing and harvesting conditions. So said, the aim of this paper is to select the best oil palm planting site through the best methods combination. The study area is the district of Njimom located in the west-Cameroon, transitional between the equatorial and the climatic zones. In the same GIS environment, the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) respectively highlight the subtle differences between capability and suitability, while the Utility Function (UF) helps to assess the consideration of sustainability aspects. The first results consist in eight layers representing natural conditions, that is rainfall, temperatures, sunshine, slope, elevation, soil richness, soil moisture and forest cover, recoded in six classes ranked from 5 to 0 according to the FAO standardised scale. They are crossed using the straightforward method of WLC to give the “Capability layer”. The second results consist in three layers related to the social-economical constraints for production, as built-up area, distance to road and distance to rivers. These layers are recoded in binary with 1 and 0, they are weighted by the FAHP priority vector and membership approach to give the “suitability layer”. Then, the number of occurrences of each aspect of the sustainability is counted in each of the two preceding processes to perform the UF. The resulting value, that is 0.542 for the capability process and 0.315 for the suitability process, serves to weight their respective layers, and their sum gives the final map with the best oil palm site planting in the northern part of the study area, on about 34,950 ha, representing 44.8% of Njimom district.展开更多
This letter to editor discusses on the publication on admission hemoglobin level and prognosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.A comment on published article is raised.The specific confounding conditions on the hemoglobin...This letter to editor discusses on the publication on admission hemoglobin level and prognosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.A comment on published article is raised.The specific confounding conditions on the hemoglobin level are mentioned.Concerns on clinal application are raised and discussed.展开更多
This study examined mental health issues affecting the group of individuals who are in the social media contact list of the researchers.This was done by administering a closed structured questionnaire,covering informa...This study examined mental health issues affecting the group of individuals who are in the social media contact list of the researchers.This was done by administering a closed structured questionnaire,covering information from participants’demographic characteristics,duration of time spent on ICT usage,to their perceived health effects thereof.Male respondents,largely unemployed are active ICT users,addicted to the Internet,and also suf-fer from unspecified ailments.Aged 31–35 and above,half of men and all women participants spend more than 5 h per day.High-intensive ICT use is associated,in general,with concurrent symptoms of information overload,depression and Internet addiction.It is insignificantly associated with composite stress.Medium intensive ICT use is correlated with fatigue and depression in equal measure but in opposite direction.There are significant differ-ences in demographic attributes as they explain intensity of ICT Usage.The older the employed survey partici-pants are,the less they suffer from composite stress.However,black South Africans suffer significantly from composite stress,fatigue and depression,though negatively from internet addiction.The results also indicate that South African men have negative experiences of composite stress,depression and internet addiction.Educated South Africans have negative experiences of fatigue,but positive experiences of composite stress,depression and internet addiction.Low intensive use of ICT has no impact on composite stress,fatigue and depressive moods of survey participants.It impacts negatively on internet addiction.Medium intensive use of ICT impacts posi-tively on survey participants’experiences of fatigue,but negatively on composite stress,depression and internet addiction.High-intensive use of ICT impacts positively on survey participants’experiences of composite stress and depression.展开更多
Rationale:Dengue is an important tropical disease that can cause acute hemorrhagic fever.Other atypical clinical presentations of dengue also can occur,and acute ascites is one of them.Patients'concern:A 47-year-o...Rationale:Dengue is an important tropical disease that can cause acute hemorrhagic fever.Other atypical clinical presentations of dengue also can occur,and acute ascites is one of them.Patients'concern:A 47-year-old male patient was referred to the physician with acute abdominal extension for 2 days.He revealed a history of fatigue and right upper abdominal pain in the past 4 days.Diagnosis:Dengue-induced acute ascites.Intervention:Standard fluid replacement therapy.Outcome:The clinical finding of the patient returned to normal within 5 days.Lesson:Since dengue has been expanding its endemic area at present,an atypical clinical presentation is possible and should not be ignored in the process of diagnosis.In addition,the clinical presentation of acute distention of abdomen with abnormal petechiae is a good diagnostic implication for dengue-induced ascites.展开更多
Till now,over 220 million people throughout the world have already been affected by coronavirus disease(COVID-19).Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19[1].Several pharmaceutical ...Till now,over 220 million people throughout the world have already been affected by coronavirus disease(COVID-19).Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19[1].Several pharmaceutical companies have announced the success of their COVID-19 vaccine study.Additional publications on the vaccine's efficacy and inoculation costs are available.When it comes to a new immunization,the cost and accessibility of the vaccine are crucial considerations[2].展开更多
Mosul Dam is multipurpose earth fill dam. It is 3.4km long, 113m in height and its storage capacity reaches 11.11 km3 of which 2.95 km3 is dead storage. The dam is located on the River Tigris in the northern part of I...Mosul Dam is multipurpose earth fill dam. It is 3.4km long, 113m in height and its storage capacity reaches 11.11 km3 of which 2.95 km3 is dead storage. The dam is located on the River Tigris in the northern part of Iraq about 60 km in north west Mosul city. The dam was built on highly karstified alternating beds of gypsum, marl and limestone. The dam was operating in 1986 and since then, seepage problems started due to the solubility of the gypsum beds, presence of karstification and the effect of the local groundwater aquifer. Insensitive grouting program was put to stop the seepage and ensure the stability of the dam but it did not stop. The situation became worse in 2014 when ISIS occupied the dam area and grouting operations which were halted. Recent evaluation of the conditions indicates that the dam is in its worst conditions. The failure models of the dam indicate that 6 million people will be affected, and 7202 km2 of land will be inundated. To stop this catastrophe, grouting operations should be continued intensively to elongate the span life of the dam. Water level within its reservoir should be kept at a very low level to minimize the damages in case of dam failure. As a permanent solution, another dam should be built downstream Mosul Dam so that it can take the wave of Mosul Dam in case of its failure.展开更多
An eleven-year-old spayed American Akita bitch rapidly developed a mammary tumour which was surgically removed. The histological examination revealed the tumour to be a sarcoma that presented positive immunohistochemi...An eleven-year-old spayed American Akita bitch rapidly developed a mammary tumour which was surgically removed. The histological examination revealed the tumour to be a sarcoma that presented positive immunohistochemical staining against vimentin and protein S 100. There was no staining against pan-actin. Based on the histological aspect and the pattern of immunohistochemical staining the diagnosis of primary extraskeletal chondrosarcoma of the mammary gland was considered most probable. Two months later the patient was euthanized with recurrent local tumour and metastases in the lungs.展开更多
Qash Qooly valley runs parallel to Pera Magroon, Sara and Surdash anticlines, almost in SE-NW trend, and merges with the Lesser Zab River 9 km southeast to Dokan town. Before its development, it was a large basin with...Qash Qooly valley runs parallel to Pera Magroon, Sara and Surdash anticlines, almost in SE-NW trend, and merges with the Lesser Zab River 9 km southeast to Dokan town. Before its development, it was a large basin with width ranges between 2-3 km, which was filled during Pleistocene or may be Late Pliocene by different types of sediments. The presence of the calcrete on the top indicates a wet period that has lasted for a long time as indicated from the thickness of the calcrete and alluvial fan sediments. The age of Qash Qooly valley was estimated using the exposure age determination method. The type of the sediments, their thicknesses, and erosion intensity and sediments＇ dens dissection by rills were the main features used. This study concluded that the age of the basin is Pliocene--Late Pleistocene, whereas the valley started to be developed during uppermost Late Pleistocene and is still active in shifting its course.展开更多
In central part of Iraq within the vicinity of Karbala-Najaf, two cliffs called ＂Tar Al-Say＇ed＂ and ＂Tar Al-Najaf＂ form conspicuous geomorphological forms between the Mesopotamia Plain and the Western and Souther...In central part of Iraq within the vicinity of Karbala-Najaf, two cliffs called ＂Tar Al-Say＇ed＂ and ＂Tar Al-Najaf＂ form conspicuous geomorphological forms between the Mesopotamia Plain and the Western and Southern Deserts. The top surface between the two cliffs （tars） is covered by alluvial fan sediments, laid down by A1-Khir Valley when merging in a large depression due to the drop in the gradient of the valley. Consequently, the depression was divided into two parts, to the left is called Al-Razzazah Depression, whereas to the right is called Bahir Al-Najaf. This affected the course of the River Euphrates. The deposition stopped due to an uplift movement which caused the elevation of the two cliffs which are covered by alluvial fan sediments. The two cliffs had and are still suffering from retreating, due to lateral erosion by wave actions in Al-Razzazah Depression. Springs located along a straight line, sag pond, deflected drainage, shutter ridges and pressure ridges can be noticed in the area. The age of both cliffs is estimated to be upper Late Pleistocene--early Holocene.展开更多
Dear Editor,We would like to share ideas on“Comparison of in-vial exhaust method versus conventional exhaust method in the injection of COVID-19 vaccine.”[1]Xu et al.[1]concluded that“Implementing the in-vial exhau...Dear Editor,We would like to share ideas on“Comparison of in-vial exhaust method versus conventional exhaust method in the injection of COVID-19 vaccine.”[1]Xu et al.[1]concluded that“Implementing the in-vial exhaust method in the vaccine injection can effectively reduce the incidence of solution spillage,reduce nucleic acid contamination,and ensure that the vaccine is injected at the prescribed dose and application value.[1]”We agree that in-vial method might be appropriate for injection of vaccine.However,an important factor for the success of any method is experience of practitioner.Attempt to reduce vaccine waste is good but we should concern on the possible contamination as well.Whether the in-vial exhaustion can result in a contamination or not is an issue for further investigation.Finally,quantitation accuracy is another important topic.How the two different techniques relate to syringe dead space is an interesting issue for further study.[2]展开更多
Badush Dam is a partially completed dam and a unique case of flood retention dams. Its intended main function is to perform flood protection once in its lifetime;that is if Mosul Dam would collapse. In such a case, th...Badush Dam is a partially completed dam and a unique case of flood retention dams. Its intended main function is to perform flood protection once in its lifetime;that is if Mosul Dam would collapse. In such a case, the Badush dam would temporarily store the whole flood wave and route it safely to the downstream. For this end, the bulk of the reservoir is left dry, while the remaining volume at the lower part which is intended for power generation does not give an economic justification for building the full height of the dam. The short duration of the intended use as a protection dam has led to relaxing many design assumptions which have raised concerns over the dam integrity. The current controversy rages now over whether to continue the construction of the dam as it was first designed or to change all that in view of the similar site geology of Mosul Dam. Mosul dam foundations suffer at the moment from the severe continuous dissolution of the soluble materials in its foundation leading to continued maintenance grouting of that foundation. This paper gives an overview of the history of Badush dam, its current design and what new requirements which are needed if it is to replace Mosul Dam itself.展开更多
A stress analysis is described for a nuclear steam generator tubesheet with a thin, or irregular ligament, associated with a mis-drilled hole using the rules of ASME （American Society of Mechanical Engineers） B ＆ P...A stress analysis is described for a nuclear steam generator tubesheet with a thin, or irregular ligament, associated with a mis-drilled hole using the rules of ASME （American Society of Mechanical Engineers） B ＆ PV Section Ⅲ and non-mandatory Appendix A, Article A-8000 for stresses in perforated flat plates. The analysis demonstrates the proper application of the NB-3200 rules for this special application, with discussion of the differences between an actual tube hole deviation and what is assumed in ASME Appendix A. This is a companion paper to ＂Technical Justification Supporting Operation with a Tube Installed in a Mis-Drilled Hole of a Steam Generator Tubesheet＂.展开更多
The main goal of this study has been to map flood and assess land surface short-term dynamics in relation with snowy weather. The two recent snowfall events, which happened in, February 14<sup>th</sup> and...The main goal of this study has been to map flood and assess land surface short-term dynamics in relation with snowy weather. The two recent snowfall events, which happened in, February 14<sup>th</sup> and 15<sup>th</sup>, of year 2021, and February 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup>, of year 2022, were chosen. A pre-analysis correlation was assumed between, the snow events, recurrency of floods, and changes in the land surface characteristics (i.e., wetness, energy, temperature), in a “Before-During-After” scenario. Active and passive microwave satellites data such as, Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) and Landsat-9 Operation Land Imager-2/Thermal Infrared Sensors-2 (OLI-2/TIRS-2), as well as cloud databased global models for water and urban layers were used. The first step of processing was thresholding of SAR image, at 0.25 cutoff, based on bimodal histogram distribution, followed by the change analysis. The following processing consisted in the images transformation, by computing the tasseled cap transformation wetness (TCTw) and the surface albedo on MSI image. In addition, the land surface temperature (LST) was modeled from OLI-2/TIRS-2 image. Then, a 5<sup>th</sup> order polynomial regression was computed, between TCTw as dependent variable and, albedo and LST as independent variables. As a first result, an area of 5.6 km<sup>2</sup> has been mapped as recurrently flooded from the two years assessment. The other output highlighted a constant increase of wetness (TCTw), considered most influential on land surface dynamics, comparatively to energy exchange (albedo) and temperature (LST). The “After” event dependency between the three indicators was highest, with a correlation coefficient, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.682, confirming the persistence of wetness after-snowmelt. Validation over topographic layers confirmed that, recurrently flooded areas are mostly distributed on, lowest valley depth points, farthest distances from channel network (i.e., from perennial waters), and lowest relative slope position areas. Whereas, 88.9% of the validation sampling were confirmed in the laboratory, and 86.7% of urban validation points were assessed as recurrently flooded when combining pre-/post-field-work campaign.展开更多
BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variants are currently a new hazard.Since the first appearance of classical SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019,pathogen genetic alterations have continued to ...BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variants are currently a new hazard.Since the first appearance of classical SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019,pathogen genetic alterations have continued to occur,and some new hazardous forms have already emerged.The underlying pathophysiological process leading to clinical issue is molecular change caused by genetic mutation.AIM To determine the change in the interaction between receptor binding domain of omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).METHODS The researchers investigated how alterations in the binding area of the SARS receptor CoV2 interacted electrostatically with the ACE2 receptor.In this report,three important coronavirus disease 2019 variants,beta,delta,and omicron,were investigated.RESULTS According to this study,there was a change of electrostatic interactions between the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 with the ACE2 receptor due to each studied variant.The most change was detected in omicron variant followed by delta variant and beta variant.CONCLUSION Our results may support the clinical finding that the omicron variant is more transmissible than the wild type and other variants。展开更多
Iraq, like most Middle Eastern countries, is suffering from the effects of Climate Change. The effects are in form of deterioration and degradation of lands, including agricultural lands, an increase in dust storms, a...Iraq, like most Middle Eastern countries, is suffering from the effects of Climate Change. The effects are in form of deterioration and degradation of lands, including agricultural lands, an increase in dust storms, an increase in daily temperatures, decreasing annual rainfall, decreasing annual snowfall, decreasing annual water income in the main rivers, streams and ephemeral wadis, increasing of desertification, increasing of areas covered by sand dunes, decreasing of green areas, decreasing of wetlands. According to regional studies, the living conditions and environment after 3 - 4 decades in Iraq and some neighboring countries will be very difficult, especially due to increasing daily temperatures and decreasing annual rainfall. To conduct the current study, we have reviewed tens of published articles, and scientific reports followed by relevant interviews on TV, and daily observations of events caused by climate change. One of the most common reasons for climate change is the emission of CO2</sub>, and the most common reason contributing to the increase of the effects of climate change is the absence of awareness in the community and the deficient official preparedness. The preparedness, however, to avoid and/ or mitigate the effects of climate change is very low, not only on the governmental level but also on popular scales. Therefore, the harsh effect of climate change increasing in severity and causing great damage to infrastructure, and personal properties, and is leading to more causalities. Recommendations to mitigate the consequences of climate change are given in two scales, governmental and popular.展开更多
This letter to editor discussing on the publication on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic and surgical diseases.Concerns on procedures are raised and discussed.
文摘Mosul Dam is an earth fill dam located on the River Tigris northern part of Iraq. The capacity of its reservoir is 11.11 billion cubic meters which makes it the fourth biggest dam in the Middle East. From geological perspective, the dam is located on double plunging anticlines. The rocks of the site are mainly composed of highly jointed and karistified alternating beds of limestones, gysum and marls, since the impoundment of the reservoir seepage of water was recognized under the foundation of the dam. To stop or minimize the seepage, intensive grouting operations were conducted. Recent investigations and evaluation of the conditions of the dam indicate that it is in a critical situation. In this paper, consequences of the dam failure are discussed and possible solutions are given.
文摘To the editor,We would like to share our feedback on the publication“Is China ready for monkeypox?”.1 Wei documented the wide range of clinical prob-lems associated with monkeypox.Wei mentioned that it is necessary to strengthen the prevention method against monkeypox.Usually,in addition to a fever,the patient with monkeypox has a skin problem,usually vesicula lesions.However,it is possible that neither a fever nor a skin lesion is present in a patient with monkeypox.2 According to a recent report by Benites-Zapata et al.,the meta-analysis results showed that rash occurs in 93%and fever in 72%of patients with mon-keypox.3 Without the atypical appearance of lesions,the doctor can fail to identify the issue and incorrectly diagnose the disease.4 In addition,the general laboratory inquiry is commonly based on the evaluation of crust or vesicle clinical samples.Therefore,it is clear that skin lesion is considered to be a typical clinical problem in almost all published re-ports.It is important to recognize that some patients display only odd symptoms,such as gastrointestinal and neurological conditions.
文摘Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has recorded a boom production the last decades and its main productive zone is inside the tropics that meet the best biophysical conditions. Investors as well as geospatial practitioners are increasingly interested on the best growing and harvesting conditions. So said, the aim of this paper is to select the best oil palm planting site through the best methods combination. The study area is the district of Njimom located in the west-Cameroon, transitional between the equatorial and the climatic zones. In the same GIS environment, the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) respectively highlight the subtle differences between capability and suitability, while the Utility Function (UF) helps to assess the consideration of sustainability aspects. The first results consist in eight layers representing natural conditions, that is rainfall, temperatures, sunshine, slope, elevation, soil richness, soil moisture and forest cover, recoded in six classes ranked from 5 to 0 according to the FAO standardised scale. They are crossed using the straightforward method of WLC to give the “Capability layer”. The second results consist in three layers related to the social-economical constraints for production, as built-up area, distance to road and distance to rivers. These layers are recoded in binary with 1 and 0, they are weighted by the FAHP priority vector and membership approach to give the “suitability layer”. Then, the number of occurrences of each aspect of the sustainability is counted in each of the two preceding processes to perform the UF. The resulting value, that is 0.542 for the capability process and 0.315 for the suitability process, serves to weight their respective layers, and their sum gives the final map with the best oil palm site planting in the northern part of the study area, on about 34,950 ha, representing 44.8% of Njimom district.
文摘This letter to editor discusses on the publication on admission hemoglobin level and prognosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.A comment on published article is raised.The specific confounding conditions on the hemoglobin level are mentioned.Concerns on clinal application are raised and discussed.
文摘This study examined mental health issues affecting the group of individuals who are in the social media contact list of the researchers.This was done by administering a closed structured questionnaire,covering information from participants’demographic characteristics,duration of time spent on ICT usage,to their perceived health effects thereof.Male respondents,largely unemployed are active ICT users,addicted to the Internet,and also suf-fer from unspecified ailments.Aged 31–35 and above,half of men and all women participants spend more than 5 h per day.High-intensive ICT use is associated,in general,with concurrent symptoms of information overload,depression and Internet addiction.It is insignificantly associated with composite stress.Medium intensive ICT use is correlated with fatigue and depression in equal measure but in opposite direction.There are significant differ-ences in demographic attributes as they explain intensity of ICT Usage.The older the employed survey partici-pants are,the less they suffer from composite stress.However,black South Africans suffer significantly from composite stress,fatigue and depression,though negatively from internet addiction.The results also indicate that South African men have negative experiences of composite stress,depression and internet addiction.Educated South Africans have negative experiences of fatigue,but positive experiences of composite stress,depression and internet addiction.Low intensive use of ICT has no impact on composite stress,fatigue and depressive moods of survey participants.It impacts negatively on internet addiction.Medium intensive use of ICT impacts posi-tively on survey participants’experiences of fatigue,but negatively on composite stress,depression and internet addiction.High-intensive use of ICT impacts positively on survey participants’experiences of composite stress and depression.
文摘Rationale:Dengue is an important tropical disease that can cause acute hemorrhagic fever.Other atypical clinical presentations of dengue also can occur,and acute ascites is one of them.Patients'concern:A 47-year-old male patient was referred to the physician with acute abdominal extension for 2 days.He revealed a history of fatigue and right upper abdominal pain in the past 4 days.Diagnosis:Dengue-induced acute ascites.Intervention:Standard fluid replacement therapy.Outcome:The clinical finding of the patient returned to normal within 5 days.Lesson:Since dengue has been expanding its endemic area at present,an atypical clinical presentation is possible and should not be ignored in the process of diagnosis.In addition,the clinical presentation of acute distention of abdomen with abnormal petechiae is a good diagnostic implication for dengue-induced ascites.
文摘Till now,over 220 million people throughout the world have already been affected by coronavirus disease(COVID-19).Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19[1].Several pharmaceutical companies have announced the success of their COVID-19 vaccine study.Additional publications on the vaccine's efficacy and inoculation costs are available.When it comes to a new immunization,the cost and accessibility of the vaccine are crucial considerations[2].
文摘Mosul Dam is multipurpose earth fill dam. It is 3.4km long, 113m in height and its storage capacity reaches 11.11 km3 of which 2.95 km3 is dead storage. The dam is located on the River Tigris in the northern part of Iraq about 60 km in north west Mosul city. The dam was built on highly karstified alternating beds of gypsum, marl and limestone. The dam was operating in 1986 and since then, seepage problems started due to the solubility of the gypsum beds, presence of karstification and the effect of the local groundwater aquifer. Insensitive grouting program was put to stop the seepage and ensure the stability of the dam but it did not stop. The situation became worse in 2014 when ISIS occupied the dam area and grouting operations which were halted. Recent evaluation of the conditions indicates that the dam is in its worst conditions. The failure models of the dam indicate that 6 million people will be affected, and 7202 km2 of land will be inundated. To stop this catastrophe, grouting operations should be continued intensively to elongate the span life of the dam. Water level within its reservoir should be kept at a very low level to minimize the damages in case of dam failure. As a permanent solution, another dam should be built downstream Mosul Dam so that it can take the wave of Mosul Dam in case of its failure.
文摘An eleven-year-old spayed American Akita bitch rapidly developed a mammary tumour which was surgically removed. The histological examination revealed the tumour to be a sarcoma that presented positive immunohistochemical staining against vimentin and protein S 100. There was no staining against pan-actin. Based on the histological aspect and the pattern of immunohistochemical staining the diagnosis of primary extraskeletal chondrosarcoma of the mammary gland was considered most probable. Two months later the patient was euthanized with recurrent local tumour and metastases in the lungs.
文摘Qash Qooly valley runs parallel to Pera Magroon, Sara and Surdash anticlines, almost in SE-NW trend, and merges with the Lesser Zab River 9 km southeast to Dokan town. Before its development, it was a large basin with width ranges between 2-3 km, which was filled during Pleistocene or may be Late Pliocene by different types of sediments. The presence of the calcrete on the top indicates a wet period that has lasted for a long time as indicated from the thickness of the calcrete and alluvial fan sediments. The age of Qash Qooly valley was estimated using the exposure age determination method. The type of the sediments, their thicknesses, and erosion intensity and sediments＇ dens dissection by rills were the main features used. This study concluded that the age of the basin is Pliocene--Late Pleistocene, whereas the valley started to be developed during uppermost Late Pleistocene and is still active in shifting its course.
文摘In central part of Iraq within the vicinity of Karbala-Najaf, two cliffs called ＂Tar Al-Say＇ed＂ and ＂Tar Al-Najaf＂ form conspicuous geomorphological forms between the Mesopotamia Plain and the Western and Southern Deserts. The top surface between the two cliffs （tars） is covered by alluvial fan sediments, laid down by A1-Khir Valley when merging in a large depression due to the drop in the gradient of the valley. Consequently, the depression was divided into two parts, to the left is called Al-Razzazah Depression, whereas to the right is called Bahir Al-Najaf. This affected the course of the River Euphrates. The deposition stopped due to an uplift movement which caused the elevation of the two cliffs which are covered by alluvial fan sediments. The two cliffs had and are still suffering from retreating, due to lateral erosion by wave actions in Al-Razzazah Depression. Springs located along a straight line, sag pond, deflected drainage, shutter ridges and pressure ridges can be noticed in the area. The age of both cliffs is estimated to be upper Late Pleistocene--early Holocene.
文摘Dear Editor,We would like to share ideas on“Comparison of in-vial exhaust method versus conventional exhaust method in the injection of COVID-19 vaccine.”[1]Xu et al.[1]concluded that“Implementing the in-vial exhaust method in the vaccine injection can effectively reduce the incidence of solution spillage,reduce nucleic acid contamination,and ensure that the vaccine is injected at the prescribed dose and application value.[1]”We agree that in-vial method might be appropriate for injection of vaccine.However,an important factor for the success of any method is experience of practitioner.Attempt to reduce vaccine waste is good but we should concern on the possible contamination as well.Whether the in-vial exhaustion can result in a contamination or not is an issue for further investigation.Finally,quantitation accuracy is another important topic.How the two different techniques relate to syringe dead space is an interesting issue for further study.[2]
文摘Badush Dam is a partially completed dam and a unique case of flood retention dams. Its intended main function is to perform flood protection once in its lifetime;that is if Mosul Dam would collapse. In such a case, the Badush dam would temporarily store the whole flood wave and route it safely to the downstream. For this end, the bulk of the reservoir is left dry, while the remaining volume at the lower part which is intended for power generation does not give an economic justification for building the full height of the dam. The short duration of the intended use as a protection dam has led to relaxing many design assumptions which have raised concerns over the dam integrity. The current controversy rages now over whether to continue the construction of the dam as it was first designed or to change all that in view of the similar site geology of Mosul Dam. Mosul dam foundations suffer at the moment from the severe continuous dissolution of the soluble materials in its foundation leading to continued maintenance grouting of that foundation. This paper gives an overview of the history of Badush dam, its current design and what new requirements which are needed if it is to replace Mosul Dam itself.
文摘A stress analysis is described for a nuclear steam generator tubesheet with a thin, or irregular ligament, associated with a mis-drilled hole using the rules of ASME （American Society of Mechanical Engineers） B ＆ PV Section Ⅲ and non-mandatory Appendix A, Article A-8000 for stresses in perforated flat plates. The analysis demonstrates the proper application of the NB-3200 rules for this special application, with discussion of the differences between an actual tube hole deviation and what is assumed in ASME Appendix A. This is a companion paper to ＂Technical Justification Supporting Operation with a Tube Installed in a Mis-Drilled Hole of a Steam Generator Tubesheet＂.
文摘The main goal of this study has been to map flood and assess land surface short-term dynamics in relation with snowy weather. The two recent snowfall events, which happened in, February 14<sup>th</sup> and 15<sup>th</sup>, of year 2021, and February 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup>, of year 2022, were chosen. A pre-analysis correlation was assumed between, the snow events, recurrency of floods, and changes in the land surface characteristics (i.e., wetness, energy, temperature), in a “Before-During-After” scenario. Active and passive microwave satellites data such as, Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) and Landsat-9 Operation Land Imager-2/Thermal Infrared Sensors-2 (OLI-2/TIRS-2), as well as cloud databased global models for water and urban layers were used. The first step of processing was thresholding of SAR image, at 0.25 cutoff, based on bimodal histogram distribution, followed by the change analysis. The following processing consisted in the images transformation, by computing the tasseled cap transformation wetness (TCTw) and the surface albedo on MSI image. In addition, the land surface temperature (LST) was modeled from OLI-2/TIRS-2 image. Then, a 5<sup>th</sup> order polynomial regression was computed, between TCTw as dependent variable and, albedo and LST as independent variables. As a first result, an area of 5.6 km<sup>2</sup> has been mapped as recurrently flooded from the two years assessment. The other output highlighted a constant increase of wetness (TCTw), considered most influential on land surface dynamics, comparatively to energy exchange (albedo) and temperature (LST). The “After” event dependency between the three indicators was highest, with a correlation coefficient, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.682, confirming the persistence of wetness after-snowmelt. Validation over topographic layers confirmed that, recurrently flooded areas are mostly distributed on, lowest valley depth points, farthest distances from channel network (i.e., from perennial waters), and lowest relative slope position areas. Whereas, 88.9% of the validation sampling were confirmed in the laboratory, and 86.7% of urban validation points were assessed as recurrently flooded when combining pre-/post-field-work campaign.
文摘BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variants are currently a new hazard.Since the first appearance of classical SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019,pathogen genetic alterations have continued to occur,and some new hazardous forms have already emerged.The underlying pathophysiological process leading to clinical issue is molecular change caused by genetic mutation.AIM To determine the change in the interaction between receptor binding domain of omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).METHODS The researchers investigated how alterations in the binding area of the SARS receptor CoV2 interacted electrostatically with the ACE2 receptor.In this report,three important coronavirus disease 2019 variants,beta,delta,and omicron,were investigated.RESULTS According to this study,there was a change of electrostatic interactions between the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 with the ACE2 receptor due to each studied variant.The most change was detected in omicron variant followed by delta variant and beta variant.CONCLUSION Our results may support the clinical finding that the omicron variant is more transmissible than the wild type and other variants。
文摘Iraq, like most Middle Eastern countries, is suffering from the effects of Climate Change. The effects are in form of deterioration and degradation of lands, including agricultural lands, an increase in dust storms, an increase in daily temperatures, decreasing annual rainfall, decreasing annual snowfall, decreasing annual water income in the main rivers, streams and ephemeral wadis, increasing of desertification, increasing of areas covered by sand dunes, decreasing of green areas, decreasing of wetlands. According to regional studies, the living conditions and environment after 3 - 4 decades in Iraq and some neighboring countries will be very difficult, especially due to increasing daily temperatures and decreasing annual rainfall. To conduct the current study, we have reviewed tens of published articles, and scientific reports followed by relevant interviews on TV, and daily observations of events caused by climate change. One of the most common reasons for climate change is the emission of CO2</sub>, and the most common reason contributing to the increase of the effects of climate change is the absence of awareness in the community and the deficient official preparedness. The preparedness, however, to avoid and/ or mitigate the effects of climate change is very low, not only on the governmental level but also on popular scales. Therefore, the harsh effect of climate change increasing in severity and causing great damage to infrastructure, and personal properties, and is leading to more causalities. Recommendations to mitigate the consequences of climate change are given in two scales, governmental and popular.
文摘This letter to editor discussing on the publication on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic and surgical diseases.Concerns on procedures are raised and discussed.
