Ninevah University

Natural clay is considered one of the most attractive substances due to its broad applications and environmental benignity. In this work, Kurdistan montmorillonite clay (KMC) has been easily separated from the soil without any chemical treatment. It is employed as an efficient adsorbent for removing the cationic toxic dyes from the influent. Different methods, such as BET, FESEM, TEM, UV–VIS, XRD, XRF, XPS, and Zeta potential, have been applied to study how well clay works. In an effort to match the isothermal data, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich equations were used. The experimental findings have shown that a Langmuir isotherm equation provides a good fit for the equilibrium data (R2 = 0.999). The rate parameters were assessed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion, and liquid film diffusion equations and were consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.999). Additionally, the results revealed that the clay exhibited a high adsorption capacity (2.45 mg/g) and removal for methylene blue (MB) dye (98%) in one minute. The outcomes show that KMC effectively adsorbs MB dye and may be used as a low-cost substitute in wastewater treatment to get rid of cationic dyes.

With the increasing demand for services and data traffic, next-generation mobile communication systems must deliver higher data rates, ultra-low latency, and enhanced connectivity. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has emerged as a promising solution, allowing multiple users (MU) to share a single channel whether in frequency, time, code, or spatial resources—simultaneously, improving spectral and energy efficiency. This research paper studies power allocation for multiple users sharing one channel under different performance metrics. Sum rate maximization focuses on total throughput, while fairness ensures equitable resource allocation. Energy efficiency minimizes energy use. Balancing these metrics enables efficient power allocation for next-generation mobile communication systems. Moreover, research paper discussed effect of trade off on power allocation for downlink NOMA under different performance metrics.

Background Prostate cancer is a significant health concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with many cases diagnosed at advanced stages, a high mortality-to incidence ratio, and low prostate cancer awareness. This study aims to evaluate prostate cancer screening practices in the region to inform effective early detection and management strategies. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July 1, 2023, to November 8, 2024, among physicians from 19 countries in the MENA region. The study utilized a validated questionnaire to assess prostate cancer screening practices, barriers, and educational needs. Results The survey had a response rate of 96.8%, with 1,163 participants. Of these, 34.7% routinely performed prostate cancer screenings, with 61.1% using PSA tests. The primary barrier was lack of patient awareness (51.2%). Additionally, 65.3% of participants had no formal training. To improve screening rates, participants suggested better patient education (63.5%), increased training for healthcare providers (41.9%), and improved access to screening equipment (38.9%). Conclusion This study reveals that prostate cancer screening was low, with barriers including a lack of patient awareness and formal training among physicians. Addressing these issues through culturally tailored education programs may improve early detection rates and ultimately reduce the burden of prostate cancer in the MENA region.

Nitrate ion contamination of water is a serious issue that exists around the world. Nitrates provide a threat due to their transformation into nitrites, particularly nitrosamines, which are thought to be a potential risk for cancer. This is a greater concern than the comparatively low toxicity of nitrates. It is evident that continuous nitrate ion monitoring is highly technologically interesting, but it must be quick and simple to carry out. One of the commonly used methods to meet the aforementioned parameters is electrochemical detection. In particular, in this work we have developed a Polyvinyl alcohol/Copper and Nickel co-doped titania (PCNT)-based nanostructured sensor. The surface morphology and particle size are also studied using various characterizations like X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), etc. The electrochemical characterizations such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) are performed. The limit of detection for the fabricated electrode is 204.71 µM, while the limit of quantification is 620.34 µM. Real water samples were also analysed using fabricated electrode.

Objectives Parents' medicine‐seeking behavior is often influenced by their own experiences with illness. The purpose of this study was to investigate parents' medicine‐seeking behavior and their beliefs regarding the efficacy of medicines. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted among parents in Mosul, Iraq. A convenience sampling method was used to select the parents who visited community pharmacies to buy medication for their ill children. A self‐administered questionnaire was utilized to collect data from 380 parents who successfully completed the survey. Results The majority of parents (83.4%) stated that they read the labels of medications before giving them to their children, and more than half of the parents (57.9%) did not buy medicines for their children without consulting a doctor. In addition, 65% of the participants asked about the possible side effects of the medicines. Additionally, the majority of parents (73.2%) believed that branded medicines were more effective than generic medicines, and 63.4% of them believed that the efficacy of medicines is not related to the manufacturing countries. Furthermore, 62.9% of the parents believed that the efficacy of medicines is not related to their price, while 35.2% of them believed that injections were more effective than other dosage forms. Parents' medicine‐seeking behavior and their beliefs about the efficacy of medicines were significantly associated with parents' higher education level and higher family income. Conclusion There was inadequate information among parents concerning the use of medicines, including side effects, proper utilization, and the importance of seeking medical assistance. Furthermore, parents have false beliefs about the efficacy of medicines.

One of the key parameters that affects efficiency, power density and performance of a supercapacitor (SC) is the equivalent series resistance (ESR). In this study we propose a method to estimate ESR from the charging kinetics which has practical applications. Therefore, to study the ESR of the SC we must look at the different factors that affect this resistance. In this study, the rise time extracted from the charging kinetics curves of the SC was used as an indirect method to investigate the ESR of the SC. Three different parameters were taken into account: ionic mobility, solvent material and pore cavity size of the porous electrode. The results offer enlightening information for optimizing the design of the SC with higher performance and smaller ESR values that will be translated into a better energy storage technologies.

Alzheimer's disease, a type of dementia, poses serious challenges to patients, especially older people, and no definitive treatment is available for this disease, with drug treatments having many side effects. As essential oils of plants deserve particular attention in the treatment of diseases, this study aimed to review the potential therapeutic effects of essential oils on treatment of psychosomatic aspects of Alzheimer's disease. To collect information, we searched different databases, including MagIran, SID, IranDoc and IranMedex, Embase, Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science using the keywords of essential oil, Alzheimer, acetylcholinesterase, memory, forgetfulness, aromatherapy, medicinal plant, herbal drugs, and their Persian equivalents from January 2010 to June 2022; the search included both single and multiple keywords. We retrieved 233 articles, reviewed the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the articles, and then included 25 related articles in this review (11 in vitro studies and 14 in vivo studies). The study results of in vitro and in vivo studies showed the effectiveness of different essential oils such as salvia family, tangerine and lemon oils, Juniperus communis , Anthriscus nemorosa , olibanum, inhaled coriander, Schisandra chinensis , lavender, rose essential oil, Nepeta cataria , Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Lippia origanoides , on memory and learning, enzymes, oxidative stress and inflammation, behavioural and cognitive symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that essential oils can serve as complementary therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and for addressing memory impairments, although further research, especially human clinical trials, is needed to validate these findings, determine optimal dosages, and explore the long‐term safety of essential oils in clinical settings.

Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease that damages the optic nerve, often leading to permanent vision loss. Early screening with automated technology is crucial to assist ophthalmologists in making accurate diagnoses. One of the key technologies for automated diagnosis is the segmentation of the optic disc (OD) and optic cup (OC). In this paper, RMHA-Net, which is a developed residual multiscale feature extractor with a hybrid attention mechanism is introduced for automated OD and OC segmentation. This network’s encoder is designed based on advanced convolutional neural network (CNN) blocks that combine dilated convolution, which allows field-of-view expansion by capturing larger-scale features. In addition, the encoder also embeds residual connections to improve the model capacity in extracting low-level features. This design accurately separates the OD and OC from surrounding retinal tissues, handling complex environmental and anatomical changes. The proposed network is further improved by integrating two modules to enhance the segmentation performance: 1) a multiscale feature extractor module to provide various scales contextual information, and 2) dual attention mechanisms through channel-wise and spatial-wise mechanisms so that irrelevant information or noise can be excluded by assigning lesser weights to irrelevant features. To validate RMHA-Net’s effectiveness, extensive experiments were conducted using five public datasets: Drishti-GS, ORIGA, PAPILA, Chaksu, and REFUGE, and one private dataset, Ibn Al-Haitham. The model outperformed seven cutting-edge segmentation models for OD and OC segmentation. The results demonstrate that the network extracts detailed features, offering an efficient framework for future studies.

Objective: The efficiency of corona discharge (CD) for detoxification of aflatoxin B1 (AB1), ochra¬toxin A (OA), and fumonisin B1 (FMB1) from poultry feeds with its influences on feed components was investigated. Materials and Methods: Feed samples were exposed to CD for six durations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min) at three distances (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 cm). Mycotoxin levels were estimated by compet¬itive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and findings were substantiated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: AB1, OA, and FMB1 degradation percentages increased significantly (p < 0.05) with pro¬cessing times increment and distances reduction to reach values of 83.22%, 84.21%, and 84.76% at the first distance; 80.28%, 84.00%, and 84.12% at the second distance; and 68.30%, 71.74%, and 76.18% at the third distance, respectively, after 60 min of treatment. FMB1 reported the highest degradation level. Concerning CD impacts on feed composition, protein, fat, and moisture contents decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Carbohydrates and ash were not affected adversely. Depending on peroxide values estimation, fats were of good quality. Conclusion: The CD effectiveness for AB1, OA, and FMB1 detox from poultry feeds with moderate impact on the quality of feed.

The design and analysis of a modular antenna system that can achieve both multi-dimensional null steering and dual-sense circular polarization is presented. The system is built using compact elementary units, each comprising a wideband tunable phase shifter and a printed dipole, allowing a modular assembly for various operational modes. The tunable phase shifter, designed with a broadside coupling structure and varactor-tuned stubs, provides a 145° tuning range with ±2° phase imbalance and less than 1 dB insertion loss across the band 5–7 GHz. Reconfiguration is achieved by tuning the phase shifters, enabling both one-dimensional and two-dimensional null steering as well as dual-sense circular polarization. In its one-dimensional configuration, the system achieves a null steering range of ±40° from the broadside with more than 15 dB null depth. The two-dimensional configuration extends this steering capability to two planes. A different configuration of modules enables left-hand and right-hand circular polarizations with high purity, maintaining an axial ratio below 2.3 dB across the operation band. Experimental results align closely with simulations, underscoring the potential of compact, tunable phase shifters for versatile reconfigurable antenna systems. Index Terms-Null Steering, Phase shifters, Antenna, Circular Polarization.

Background The main markers for estimation of the tendency for thromboembolic disorders are Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin gene (G20210A), and MTHFR (C677T) polymorphism. Objectives The aim of the present research is to determine the frequency distribution of genetic mutations of (FV Leiden, Prothrombin II, and MTHFR) genes in patients with early-onset thromboembolic diseases. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study done on children and young adults of both sexes aged from 1 to 45 years with thromboembolic disease with no obvious reason who attended patients clinics in Al-Salam Teaching Hospital and were referred from private clinics for a period from June 1, 2019, to August 30, 2020. Detection of gene polymorphism was done in three steps started by isolation of DNA from the blood samples followed by in vitro polymerase chain reaction amplification then hybridization of amplification products at 45°C. Results A total of 50 cases with thromboembolic diseases were enrolled in this study; 21 (42%) were male and 29 (58%) were female. Patients’ mean age was (26.64 ± 8.68) years. Factor V Leiden mutation was the most frequent mutation (12%) followed by MTHFR (C677T) mutation 6%, and the least frequency was for prothrombin gene mutation G20210A (2%). Conclusion The prevalence of mutations in gene encoding Factor V Leiden was higher than MTHFR C677T and Prothrombin 20210A polymorphisms in our locality, consequently, assay for mutation of Factor V Leiden must be included in the evaluation of patients with thromboembolic diseases with no obvious cause.

Tuberculosis (TB) affecting the central nervous system (CNS) is rare, often mimicking other intracranial pathologies such as meningiomas, especially when located in the anterior skull base. Despite a global reduction in TB incidence, CNS TB continues to present diagnostic challenges due to its nonspecific imaging characteristics. We report a case of a 39-year-old male with symptoms including persistent headache, vertigo, and visual disturbances. Initial imaging suggested meningioma; however, histopathology revealed a tuberculoma. The patient responded well to antitubercular therapy following surgery. This case emphasizes the necessity of considering TB in differential diagnoses of intracranial lesions, especially in endemic regions, to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure timely treatment. CNS TB, though rare, should be a differential consideration in intracranial lesions to avoid delays in diagnosis and improve clinical outcomes.

Objectives To examine the levels of social, academic, and emotional self-efficacy in school-aged girls and to identify the factors that contribute to these self-efficacies. Methods This study included 246 girls in Sistan and Baluchistan, located in southeastern Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 246 teenagers between the ages of 11 and 18 and the questionnaire consisted of a demographic form, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), and the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Results The mean scores for social, academic, and emotional self-efficacies were found to be 27.24 ± 5.67, 30.52 ± 6.47, and 22.29 ± 6.36, respectively. All categories of self-efficacy had mean scores that were higher than the questionnaire midpoint. Furthermore, for every type of self-efficacy, the study identified significant predictors. To be more precise, social self-efficacy was significantly predicted by anxiety, depression, and education level (R ² =13.7 %, p<0.001). Additionally, anxiety and age were significant predictors of academic self-efficacy (R ² =4.9 %, p=0.002). Lastly, anxiety and education level were significant predictors of emotional self-efficacy (R ² =9.2 %, p<0.001). Conclusions The results suggest that focusing on reducing depression and anxiety levels could potentially have a positive impact on various aspects of self-efficacy.

This paper proposed a novel design for a high-speed adaptive filter, specifically a new filter structure employing a convex combination architecture incorporating systolic architecture. The performance of convex architecture and systolic architecture are analyzed for LMS and RLS filters in two different orders. Systolic architecture improves the speed of convergence and SNR of the filters. Additionally convex combination architecture significantly improves the overall filter performance, especially in steady-state conditions. The combination of these two filter design techniques results in significantly improved convergence speed and steady-state performance of filters. The performance of the proposed filters combined two architectures outperforms the conventional filters in several metrics for filter design, including convergence speed, SNR, Steady-state MSE, learning capability, and filtering capability in terms of residual noise. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed filters in denoising ECG signals from PLI noise. The suggested filter configurations undergo evaluation for the purpose of ECG noise elimination for a set of ten ECG signals, acquired from the MIT-BIH database.

One of the most important methods of predicting the future is through past events and data repeated over time, as time series are those data indexed using time sequentially on data points distributed according to time, and periodic time series analysis is the analysis of a series of recorded measurements of a phenomenon that are repeated more than once during specific times periods. Periodicity detection has an impact on many areas in the world, such as climate, motion, education et cetera. It is important to consider in solving problems, moreover, there are many data sets in the world, the most prominent of which is time series data, and this type of data is constantly increasing. In the study, several data periodicity analysis methods (such as autocorrelation, wavelet transform, DTW, RNN, LSTM) were inspected.

The existing subarray optimization approaches find the optimal subarray shapes among all the possible subarray partitions; thus, they are relatively slow and complex due to a huge number of the examined combinations. In this paper, we propose a new two clustered subarrays partitioning schemes for performance optimization of the large planar antenna arrays. The proposed clustered subarrays are capable of simplifying the feeding network, eliminating the grating lobes, minimizing the sidelobe peaks, and improving the taper efficiency. The large planar array elements are first divided into either smaller irregular upladder-like clusters or just like ascending square-rings clusters. Then, their excitation amplitudes are weighted and optimized at the subarray clustered level instead of their original elements level. The novelty of the proposed clusters is its capability to efficiently approximate the actual element excitation amplitudes of the non-uniformly excited large arrays where their amplitudes are gradually increasing from the perimeter to the center of the array which they can be well approximated by ascending square rings around the array center. Moreover, the problem of the grating lobes and the complexity of the array feeding network are managed with these elegant clustered shapes. The genetic optimization algorithm was utilized to optimize the clustered weights such that they best approximate the actual elemental amplitude excitations envelope. Thus, the array taper efficiency does not affected, while minimizing the sidelobe peaks in the clustered subarray patterns. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency and the superiority of the proposed clustered subarrays over the standard fullarray and the existing regular and irregular subarray methods.