Neotectonic Indications from the Western and Southern Deserts of Iraq

The Iraqi Western and Southern deserts are part of the Iraqi Stable Shelf (Inner Platform) that belongs to the Arabian Plate. Therefore, both deserts lack tectonic forms like folds and faults;however, very rarely faults and regional lineaments can be seen in both deserts. Although both deserts are tectonically stable, tens of Neotectonic indications can be seen everywhere in both deserts. Among those indications are: Straight valleys, perpendicular valley bendings, sinkholes aligned along straight lines, dislocated valleys, knickpoints within valleys aligned along straight lines, regional lineaments, anomalous valley shapes, trends, and types, dissected alluvial fans. We have used existing geological maps of different scales and Esri World Imagery to recognize those Neotectonic indications. All those recognized features are excellent indications that both the Iraqi Western and Southern deserts are tectonically not stable. Accordingly, new terminology is suggested instead of the Stable Shelf (Inner Platform) which is the “Less Disturbed Shelf”.

Tensile Strain Capacity Prediction of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) Using Soft Computing Techniques

Plain concrete is strong in compression but brittle in tension,having a low tensile strain capacity that can significantly degrade the long-term performance of concrete structures,even when steel reinforcing is present.In order to address these challenges,short polymer fibers are randomly dispersed in a cement-based matrix to forma highly ductile engineered cementitious composite(ECC).Thismaterial exhibits high ductility under tensile forces,with its tensile strain being several hundred times greater than conventional concrete.Since concrete is inherently weak in tension,the tensile strain capacity(TSC)has become one of the most extensively researched properties.As a result,developing a model to predict the TSC of the ECC and to optimize the mixture proportions becomes challenging.Meanwhile,the effort required for laboratory trial batches to determine the TSC is reduced.To achieve the research objectives,five distinct models,artificial neural network(ANN),nonlinear model(NLR),linear relationship model(LR),multi-logistic model(MLR),and M5P-tree model(M5P),are investigated and employed to predict the TSCof ECCmixtures containing fly ash.Data from115 mixtures are gathered and analyzed to develop a new model.The input variables include mixture proportions,fiber length and diameter,and the time required for curing the various mixtures.The model’s effectiveness is evaluated and verified based on statistical parameters such as R2,mean absolute error(MAE),scatter index(SI),root mean squared error(RMSE),and objective function(OBJ)value.Consequently,the ANN model outperforms the others in predicting the TSC of the ECC,with RMSE,MAE,OBJ,SI,and R2 values of 0.42%,0.3%,0.33%,0.135%,and 0.98,respectively.

Causes of Water Resources Scarcity in Iraq and Possible Solutions

Iraq relies in its water resources on the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries. The country is located in the lower part of the catchment area of these rivers. The long-term average annual flow that enters Iraq from these rivers is about 30 BCM from the Euphrates, 21.2 BCM from the Tigris, 24.78 BCM from tributaries and 7 BCM from side valleys between Iraq and Iran. Now, the flow of these rivers is decreasing due to climate change and hydrological projects established in the upper parts of the catchment. It is indicated that precipitation will decrease by 15% - 25% during this century and that means that the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers will be reduced by 29% - 73%. This will cause a grave depletion of groundwater resources. Türkiye is trying to finish building 22 dams and 19 hydropower stations. Iran built 12 dams and diverted the flow of some tributaries inside Iran and blocked all the valleys that contribute water from its land to Iraq. For these reasons, Iraq is experiencing shortages in its water resources and there is some sort of friction and conflict between riparian countries within the Tigris and Euphrates basins because each country tries to secure its water resources. In this research, the factors affecting the hydro politics within these basins are water scarcity, climate change and hydrological projects, population growth rate, energy issues, water mismanagement, economic changes, expansions of projects and technology, political issues, international water laws and public awareness. In case the situation remains as it is, Iraq will experience many problems in health, environment, economy, and security. To solve the problem of water scarcity in Iraq, two parallel lines of action are to be considered. These are: 1) Reach agreements with Riparian Parties;2) Develop a long-term strategy that should take the following: a) Rehabilitating of existing dams, barrages & pump stations, b) Improving the efficiency of diversion and supply, c) Using of nonconventional water resources, d) Irrigation modernization using suitable techniques, e) Developing a public awareness program, f) Developing human resources program and establishing an agenda for training, g) Developing an agri- cultural plan that takes into consideration the possibility of reducing crops that consume a lot of water.

Targeting miRNA by CRISPR/Cas in cancer:advantages and challenges

Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)has changed biomedical research and provided entirely new models to analyze every aspect of biomedical sciences during the last decade.In the study of cancer,the CRISPR/CRISPR-associated protein(Cas)system opens new avenues into issues that were once unknown in our knowledge of the non-coding genome,tumor heterogeneity,and precision medicines.CRISPR/Cas-based geneediting technology now allows for the precise and permanent targeting of mutations and provides an opportunity to target small non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs(miRNAs).However,the development of effective and safe cancer gene editing therapy is highly dependent on proper design to be innocuous to normal cells and prevent introducing other abnormalities.This study aims to highlight the cutting-edge approaches in cancer-gene editing therapy based on the CRISPR/Cas technology to target miRNAs in cancer therapy.Furthermore,we highlight the potential challenges in CRISPR/Cas-mediated miRNA gene editing and offer advanced strategies to overcome them.

Evaluation of Land Use &Land Cover Change Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Imagery: A Case Study Sulaimaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Land use & land cover change detection in rapid growth urbanized area have been studied by many researchers and there are many works on this topic. Commonly, settlement sprawl in area depends on many factors such as eco-nomic prosperity and population growth. Iraq is one of the countries which witnessed rapid development in the settlement area. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) are analytical software technologies to evaluate this familiar worldwide phenomenon. This study illustrates settlement development in Sulaimaniyah Governorate from 2001 to 2017 using Landsat satellite imageries of different periods. All images had been classified using remote sensing software in order to proceed powerful mapping of land use classification. Maximum likelihood method is used in the accurately extracted solution information from geospatial imagery. Landsat images from the study area were categorized into four different classes. These are: forest, vegetation, soil, and settlement. Change detection analysis results illustrate that in the face of an explosive demographic shift in the settlement area where the record + 8.99 percent which is equivalent to 51.80 Km2 over a 16-year period and settlement area increasing from 3.87 percent in 2001 to 12.86 percent in 2017. Accuracy assessment model was used to evaluate (LULC) classified images. Accuracy results show an overall accuracy of 78.83% to 90.09% from 2001 to 2017 respectively while convincing results of Kappa coefficient given between substantial and almost perfect agreements. This study will help decision-makers in urban plan for future city development.

Comparative Study of Proactive, Reactive and Geographical MANET Routing Protocols

Mobile Adhoc Network (MANET) is defined as a combination of mobile nodes that lack a fixed infrastructure and is quickly deployable under any circumstances. These nodes have self-aware architecture and are able to move in multiple directions, which renders it dynamic topology. Its dynamicity makes routing in MANET rather challenging compared to fixed wired networks. This paper aims to perform a comparative study on the three categories of MANET routing protocol by comparing their characteristics and operations, as well as their strength and weaknesses.

Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution Using VLDA and COP Models in Halabja Saidsadiq Iraq

Groundwater aquifer in the HSB (Halabja and Saidsadiq Basin) is considered being one of the most important aquifers in terms of water supplying in Kurdistan Region, NE of Iraq. The growing of economics, irrigation and agricultural activities inside the basin makes it of the main essentials to the region. Therefore, pollution of groundwater is of specific worry as groundwater resources are the principal source of water for drinking, agriculture, irrigation and industrial activities. Thus, the best and practical arrangement is to keep the pollution of groundwater through. The current study aims at the evaluation of the vulnerability of groundwater aquifers of the study area. Two models were applied, to be specific VLDA and COP to develop maps of groundwater vulnerability for contamination. The VLDA model classified the area into four classes of vulnerability with each covered area: low (2%), moderate (44%), high (53%) and very high (1%). While four vulnerability classes were accomplished dependent on COP model including very low, low, moderate and high vulnerability classes with coverage areas of 1%, 37%, 2% and 60% respectively. To confirm the suitability of each map for assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the area, it required to be validated of the theoretical sympathetic of current hydrogeological conditions. In this study, groundwater age evaluated utilizing tritium isotopes investigation and applied it to validate the vulnerability results. Based on this validation, the outcome exhibits that the vulnerability classes acquired utilizing VLDA model are more predictable contrasted with the COP model.

Magnitude and Direction of Groundwater Seepage Velocity in Different Soil and Rock Materials

To understand and anticipate flow in various groundwater media, the magnitude and direction of groundwater flow velocity must be deemed. The studied area which is called Halabja-Sadiq Basin is in the northeastern part of Iraq and covers an area of approximately 128,000 square hectometers. There are several groundwater aquifers in this region that supply nearly over 90% of all water needs. Subsequently, it is of highly requirement to identify various groundwater behaviors in the area. The objective of this study is to estimate the magnitude and direction of the groundwater seepage velocity with the aid of groundwater tool in Geographic Information System technology. Refer to the results of this analysis, the magnitude value of groundwater flow velocity ranged from 0 to 51 m/d, whilst the general flow movement is from the eastern part to the western part of the study area. The factor governing the direction of flow and velocity magnitude indicates the direction of dipping of the geological formation strata, the high head of groundwater in the eastern part, and the low transmissivity properties of aquifer materials in the western part.

Structural Origin of Sinjar Anticline, NW Iraq

The Sinjar anticline is a double plunging, trending almost E-W in the northwestern part of Iraq. It extends in Syria for about 42 km, whereas in Iraq, its length is about 91 km, and the width is about 31 km. The northern limb (45° - 80°) is steeper than the southern limb (15° - 25°), with average plunges dip of 35° and axial plane dipping of 47.5° southwards. The exposed rocks in the anticline range in age from Upper Cretaceous, represented by the Shiranish Formation, to Upper Miocene, represented by the Injana Formation. Google Earth image was used to calculate structural data, which were used to indicate the structural origin of the Sinjar anticline. This was achieved by calculating the Aspect Ratio (AR), Fold Symmetry Index (IFS or IFS), and length of the mountain front (FS). Accordingly, it was found that the structural origin of the Sinjar anticline is a fault-bend fold.

The Severe Consequences of Climate Change in Iraq: A Case Study

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, 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.

The Impact of Water Scarcity on Food Security in Iraq

Iraq is part of the Fertile Crescent with the two large rivers:Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries that secure the required quantity and quality of water to the Iraqi population for their different uses;including agriculture,industry,and other domestic requirements.During the last decades,however,the quantity and quality of water in these rivers decreased causing water scarcity in the country.This scarcity is having severe impacts on food security in Iraq since large cultivated areas in different parts of the country that grow different agricultural products have been abandoned due to lack of water.The worsening situation is attributed mainly to global climate changes including decreasing rainfall amounts,increase in air temperature,and insufficient water inflows in the two main rivers and their tributaries.This last issue is exasperated by the unfair water sharing policies of the riparian countries namely Turkey and Iran.In writing this article relevant data from different sources were used.Numerous published reports and papers dealing with this important issue were consulted,while at the same time,the long experience of the authors in these very important issues was also drawn upon to elucidate the difficulties that are current today and those expected in the future in this field.

Virtual Water Trade and Food Security for Iraq

Iraq depends on its water resources from the water of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and their tributaries. Now, the flow of these rivers is decreasing, and Iraq is experiencing a water shortage problem. The situation is expected to be graver in the future if no action is considered. It is expected that the population will be about 70 million in 2050 and about 90 million in 2070. In such a case, thus, the quantities of water available in the future will not be sufficient to produce most of the requirements of food security, whether that be from agricultural or animal products. To overcome this problem, water management planning should be based on scientific background to overcome the present and expected problems. One of the main factors to be considered should be based on scientific studies of the virtual water footprint of different food crops to provide the largest possible amount of virtual water and avoid the acute shortage of its national water from surface and ground irrigation water (blue water) and rainwater (green water), in addition to working hard to provide the largest possible amount of desalinated water and refined sewage (gray water). In addition, any strategic plan for sustainable development in the country must be comprehensive so that it is not satisfied with improving the situation in the field of food security related to water security, but rather among its other elements is community development that directly affects food security, including setting policies to reduce consumption by reducing the steady increase in population where the population rate is 2.97% now. Collective awareness and guidance programs in all the fields of water and food security are very important to be adopted, so that everyone knows that the issue of food security and what derives from it are an existential issue related to the survival of Iraq as a state and people. In this research, facts are stated so that action is to be considered to minimize the water shortage problem. The new strategic water resources management plan is to be adopted that considers existing and future expected problems.

Nurses Role in Prevention of HIV/AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS)is a chronic,potentially life-threatening condition as per World Health Organization there are about 37.9 Million peoples living with AIDS/HIV in the world and out of which only 23.3 Million peoples accessing antiretroviral therapy but remaining are still not under treatment and such peoples may spread/transmit HIV more and rapid.Awareness is required among peoples living with HIV and high risk groups should consider on high priority.Nurses play key role in prevention of HIV/AIDS by significant functions such as health education to youths,high risk groups and eligible couples and prophylaxis.There is no treatment or vaccine not available to cure this syndrome,so for this deadly syndrome prevention is much better than cure is possible.

Landfill Site Selection Using GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making AHP and SAW Methods: A Case Study in Sulaimaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Lack of land for waste disposal is one of the main problems facing urban areas in developing countries. The Sulaimaniyah Governorate, located in northern Iraq, is one of the main cities of the country in the Kurdistan Region, covering an area of 2400 km2. Currently, there is no landfill site in the study region that meets scientific and environmental requirements, inappropriate dumping of solid waste causes adverse effects on the environment, economic and urban aesthetic. To overcome with this phenomenon, it is very crucial to suggest a landfill site, even in countries that recycle or burn their waste to protect the environment. Landfill sites should be carefully selected by considering all regulations and other restrictions. The integration of geographic information systems and multi-criteria decision analysis is used in this study to select suitable landfill locations in the region, for this purpose, thirteen layers are prepared according to their importance including urban area, villages, rivers, groundwater depth, slope, elevation, soil types, geological formations, roads, oil and gas field, land use classification, archaeological site and power lines. Two different methods (simple additive weighting and analytic hierarchy process) are implemented in a geographical information system to obtain the suitability index map for candidate landfill sites, where all these sites satisfied the scientific and environmental criteria which were adopted in this study. The comparison of the maps resulting from these two different methods demonstrates that both methods produced consistent results.

Flood Hazards in Erbil City Kurdistan Region Iraq, 2021: A Case Study

Erbil city is constructed in a flat plain with moderate gradient increasing northwards, the plain is dissected by tens of ephemeral wadis. The maximum elevation in the high lands NE of Erbil city is 1062 m (a.s.l.), whereas the elevation of the center of Erbil city is 420 m (a.s.l.). The average gradient from the highest part to the center of the city is 2.15%, increasing towards northeast to reach 4.79%. The mean annual rainfall is 365 mm, while the average monthly rainfall is about 24.42 mm. The site of the city is mainly covered by alluvial fan sediments. Towards northeast, however, the exposures of the Bia Hassan Formation, which consists of alternation of conglomerate and claystone cover considerable areas (82 km2) and form the high lands NE of Erbil city. The exposed rocks are thick claystone alternating with coarse conglomerate. Two very heavy torrential rain events have caused flash floods in Erbil city on 30th October and 17th December 2021. The rainfall intensities were 52 mm/day and 60 mm/day, respectively, causing destructive floods. The most affected areas were Zirin (north of Erbil) and Dara Too (northeast of Erbil), respectively, with very heavy property damages and tens of fatalities. The main reasons for the floods were the partially constructed embankments of the 150 m ring-road, and the urban development within large and wide drainage basins. Different climate data were used for the purpose of this article, with field checks.

合理设计多电子转移机制实现更好的水系锌-有机电池

由于环境相容性好、分子结构可定制和有机物资源丰富等优势,水系锌-有机物电池(AZOBs)成为构建新一代大规模储能系统的关键技术.然而,电导率差、有机物溶解和单一活性基团等问题严重限制了有机物正极材料的倍率性能、稳定性和比容量.因此,具备多氧化还原中心和稳定骨架的有机物正极材料对于实现高性能有机物正极材料至关重要.这些多官能团有机物可协同作用并激发基于多电子转移的氧化还原反应,进而促进H^(+)/Zn^(2+)共嵌以显著提升电池性能.本文探索了多官能团有机物电极的分子结构与其氧化还原反应机理之间的构效关系.本文综述了多官能团有机正极材料在提高氧化还原电位、比容量、动力学以及稳定性等方面面临的挑战和解决策略,为进一步开发先进AZOBs的关键正极材料提供了重要基础.

MicroRNAs and JAK/STAT3 signaling:A new promising therapeutic axis in blood cancers

Blood disorders include a wide spectrum of blood-associated malignancies resulting from inherited or acquired defects.The ineffectiveness of existing therapies against blood disorders arises from different reasons,one of which is drug resistance,so different types of leukemia may show different responses to treatment.Leukemia occurs for a variety of genetic and acquired reasons,leading to uncontrolled proliferation in one or more cell lines.Regarding the genetic defects,oncogene signal transducer and activator of transcription(STAT)family transcription factor,especially STAT3,play an essential role in hematological disorders onset and progress upon mutations,dysfunction,or hyperactivity.Besides,microRNAs,as biological molecules,has been shown to play a dual role in either tumorigenesis and tumor suppression in various cancers.Besides,a strong association between STAT3 and miRNA has been reported.For example,miRNAs can regulate STAT3 via targeting its upstream mediators such as IL6,IL9,and JAKs or directly binding to the STAT3 gene.On the other hand,STAT3 can regulate miRNAs.In this review study,we aimed to determine the role of either microRNAs and STAT3 along with their effect on one another's activity and function in hematological malignancies.

Solving the Water Resource Problems in Iraq

Iraq covers an area of 437072 km2 in the northeastern part of the Middle East. Its population now is more than 40 million. It relies mainly on its water resources from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and their tributaries. Recently, Iraq has been experiencing a severe water scarcity problem. This is mainly due to climate change, increased hydrological projects in riparian countries, and water resources mismanagement inside Iraq itself. To overcome the problem, a new strategy should be implemented. Such strategy should consider two main courses of action: a) serious negotiations with riparian countries to reach an agreement giving Iraq equitable water shares from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and their tributaries. b) Prudent water management practices inside Iraq that consider adopting realistic distribution of water between the governorates, rational policies aiming at increased water use efficiencies within Irrigation networks, increased use of non-conventional sources of water, adjustment of water tariffs and their collection procedures, improving agricultural techniques, introduction of intensive guidance and public awareness programs, and promulgation of new legislations, in addition to creation of human resources development programs.