Digital Commons Network^™

Production And Optimization Of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (Phas) By Corynebacterium Variabile M11: A Newly Reported Phas-Producing Bacterium, Mary S. Khalil, Mariam K. M. Zarif, Mahmoud S. M. Mohamed

Baghdad Science Journal

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a family of biopolymers that accumulate inside microorganisms as primary storage polymers in response to nutrient stress. This family of biopolymers can be used as bioplastics instead of synthetic plastics because it biodegrades into CO₂ and H₂O. This study aimed to isolate a new bacterial strain that can accumulate PHAs when cultured under unbalanced nutrient conditions of excess carbon and a depleted nitrogen source. Screening for PHAs accumulating bacterial isolates was based on culturing the bacteria on minimal salt medium containing Nile red as a fluorescent dye. Positive PHAs bacterial colonies displayed bright orange fluorescence …

Assessment Of Vegetation Dynamics On The Caspian Coast Using Remote Sensing, Shahnaz S. Amanova, Normurod Latipov, Afag Z. Hajiyeva, Firuza M. Jafarova, Ramil A. Sadigov

Baghdad Science Journal

The protection and sustainable expansion of vegetation cover is a key objective for maintaining ecological balance, particularly in rapidly urbanizing coastal regions. This study investigates the dynamics of vegetation on the Absheron Peninsula through the application of remote sensing and geospatial analysis. Multispectral imagery from Landsat 5 (2000), Landsat 8 (2014), and Landsat 9 (2025) was processed to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using red and near-infrared spectral bands. NDVI maps were generated and analyzed to evaluate changes in vegetation density, spatial distribution, and ecological conditions over a 25-year period. The results revealed a reduction in areas with …

Gut-Associated Micrococcus Yunnanensis Rk-06 From Scylla Serrata In Khor Al-Zubair Waters, Basrah, Iraq: A Novel Source Of A Halotolerant Alkaline Protease, Rafid M. Karim, Reham M. Al-Mosawi, Wissal A. Alhilfi, Anwar A. Maki, Nida J. Al-Mousawi, Mohammed F. Abbas

Baghdad Science Journal

Proteolytic bacteria have been isolated from diverse environments, but the crab gut remains a relatively unexplored source. This study aimed to isolate and identify protease-producing bacteria from the gut of the mud crab Scylla serrata collected from Khor Al-Zubair, Basrah, Iraq, and to characterize the produced protease. The gut homogenate was plated on Nutrient agar and 52 bacteria were recovered, of which 12 exhibited proteolytic activity on skim milk agar. Isolate RK-06 showed the highest activity, producing a clear zone exceeding 22 mm and was identified as Micrococcus yunnanenss (GenBank accession No. PZ312149). M. yunnanensis RK-06 was cultivated in the …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Selected Compounds In Inhibiting Bacterial Conjugation And Transfer Of The Antimicrobial Resistance Plasmids, Sundus Q. Mohammed, Mohammed F. Al-Marjani, Nadheema H. Hussein

Baghdad Science Journal

This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes in antimicrobial resistance, including multidrug-resistant strains as well as the transfer of carbapenemase genes, and to determine the role of plasmids in the transfer of such characteristics in the presence of selected compounds. A total of 115 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were collected from patients in five hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq, between October 2024 and January 2025. The disk diffusion method was used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility, and the modified carbapenem inactivation methods were used to detect phenotypic carbapenemase production. Molecular detection of carbapenemase genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Conjugation …

Nano-Curcumin And Copper Nanoparticles As Enhanced Therapeutics For Lung Cancer: A Molecular Docking And Bioinformatics Study, Sabah Saad Abdulsahib, Zahraa Abdulmunim Sharba, Shaymaa Omar Mohammed, Buthenia A. Hasoon

Baghdad Science Journal

The increased surface area-to-volume ratio and improved biological properties of nanoparticles have made them highly attractive for biomedical applications. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of Cu, Curcumin, and the Curcumin–Cu complex were evaluated against A549 lung cancer cells using the MTT assay. Molecular docking demonstrated that the Curcumin–Cu complex exhibited the strongest binding affinity toward the HRAS protein (PDB ID: 6MQT), forming multiple hydrogen and ionic interactions with key active-site residues, suggesting a potential interaction with this therapeutic target. Bioinformatics analysis further identified HRAS as a highly expressed cancer-related gene in A549 cells and a key regulator of …

Ai Tutor Pro As A Higher Education Study Tool: Pedagogy, Privacy, And Trust, Ron Owston

The Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on Pedagogy and Learning Design, Vol. 1, Issue 1., Fall 2026

Students now study with generative AI whether institutions endorse it or not. For higher education, the harder question is what kind of AI study environment can be recommended with confidence. This article describes the design of AI Tutor Pro, a free study tool created by Contact North | Contact Nord. It explains why the tool was organized into Check My Knowledge, Grow My Knowledge, and Discuss My Knowledge and connects each mode to a different strand of learning theory: retrieval practice, guided dialogue, and the zone of proximal development. It also examines the tool’s privacy model, including anonymous use and …

From Protest To Form: Translating Venezuelan Resistance Into Architectural Form, Estefany S. Gomes

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Political unrest in Venezuela has continuously redefined the relationship between power and space. Protest reveals that collective action is inherently spatial. As movement consolidates into collective action, it reorganizes territory and redefines how space is used and occupied. What appears as an event can be understood as a constructed condition shaped by direction, pressure, and intensity. In this sense, protest operates as a temporary architecture formed through motion and presence.

This thesis investigates the spatial intelligence embedded in protest and explores how it can be translated into architectural form. Protests reorganize space through compression and release. They unfold through phases …

Effect Of Folic Acid And Chitosan Supplementation On Growth Performance And Hematological Parameters Of Cyprinus Carpio, Raad J. Khalaf, Abdulmotalib J. Al-Rudainy, Sanaa A. Mustafa

Baghdad Science Journal

The current research aimed to evaluate the effect of folic acid (FA) and chitosan supplementation as feed additives on growth performance and hematological indices of common carp. A total of 100 of Cyprinus carpio with an average initial weight of 60 g were used in this study. Fish were randomly allocated into five dietary treatments (20 fish/treatment, two replications per treatment) as follows: the control group received a basal diet without additives. Treated groups T1, T2, and T3 received diets containing 2, 3, and 4 g chitosan/kg diet, respectively, each supplemented with 5 mg FA/kg diet, while T4 received 5 …

Hcmv-Encoded Micrornas As Potential Biomarkers Of Cytomegalovirus-Associated Miscarriages In Women-Diyala, Iraq, Rana Fattah Mahmood, Marwa Mansour Hussein, Ali Abdulkareem Ismael Legi, Noura Bougacha-Elleuch, Müge Fırat

Baghdad Science Journal

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage. HCMV-encoded microRNAs may be a biomarker and reflect viral activity following the recent evidence about HCMV. Aim: This study aimed to analyze expression profiles of the selected human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encoded miRNAs hcmv-miR-UL112-3p, hcmv-miR-US25-1-5p, and hcmv-miR-UL132 and their diagnostic value in women with miscarriage due to CMV DNA infection. A case-control trial was conducted in Diyala, Iraq, January to December 2025. Of 180 women with miscarriage, 50 individuals with CMV DNA-positive miscarriage cases with viral load >10³ copies/mL were included. Fifty CMV-seronegative pregnant non-miscarriage women were included …

Valuing Carbon And Ecosystem Services To Guide Policy Decisions For The Transboundary Al-Hwezeh Marsh, Haider S. Abid, Nadheer A. Fazaa, Mark J. Whittingham, Mahdi Ahmad, Ibrahim Bahr Alolom

Baghdad Science Journal

Al-Hwezeh Marsh, a transboundary freshwater wetland in southeastern Iraq at the Iran border, is one of 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites globally designated for both cultural and natural value. Despite this status, the marsh has undergone severe degradation since the 1970s due to upstream regulation of the Tigris and Karkheh Rivers and local economic pressures from oil extraction and agriculture. Cross-border management efforts, coordinated by Bahr Al-Uloom Foundation, aim to promote sustainable restoration. This study supports these efforts by estimating the economic value of ecosystem services and carbon stock under different marsh area scenarios, integrating cultural, natural, and economic dimensions. …

Antioxidant And Oxidative Stress Potentials Of Organic Compounds In The Cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya Sp. Rv74, Mira Ausama Al-Katib, Ali Abdulrahman Fadhil, Zahraa Zahraw Al-Janabi, Abdullah A. Saber

Baghdad Science Journal

Phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics of an interesting filamentous cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp., isolated from the local waters of the Tigris River, have been investigated. The species was identified using a combined polyphasic approach including modern standards of morphotaxonomy, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and ecology. The crude ethanolic extract of this cyanobacterium was subjected to an extraction process which used methanol and dichloromethane to separate the organic from the water phase, resulting in two distinct organic layers. Using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technique, several bioactive compounds were successfully identified in these organic layers. The antioxidant potentials of these compounds were evaluated …

Effects Of Sowing Date, Water Deficit, And Potassium And Sodium Silicate On Yield And Quality Traits Of Faba Bean (Vicia Faba L.), Mohammed Moatasem Arif Alrawi, Wafaa Ali Hussein

Baghdad Science Journal

Faba bean production in Iraq is becoming much harder due to climate change. Arid environments in the region suffer from a combination of low rainfall, outdated irrigation networks, and extreme heatwaves, all of which directly suppress final crop productivity. As a protein-rich legume of high nutritional and economic value, faba bean requires effective agronomic strategies to maintain yield and quality under stress conditions. This study evaluated, under field conditions during the 2023–2024 growing season in Iraq, the interactive effects of three sowing dates (September, October and November), two deficit irrigation regimes (80% and 60% of the full irrigation control), and …

Treating The Trauma Beneath The Violence: A Reappraisal Of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrator Interventions, Huda S. Shaikh, Vanessa Cordoba

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a global public health emergency with little meaningful reduction in prevalence over the past two decades, despite extensive micro-level interventions targeting perpetrators through batterer intervention programs (BIPs) and legal accountability mechanisms (Arce et al., 2020; Babcock et al., 2004; Shetty, 2025; WHO, 2025). Using a macro social work and epistemological lens, this paper argues that the IPV field and judicial systems, particularly in the United States, have relied on an outdated and largely reactive paradigm that obscures the trauma histories of perpetrators, neglects intergenerational and neurobiological mechanisms, and perpetuates epistemic injustice toward both survivors and …

Update On New Course: Advanced Topics In Data Analysis, Paul Rummelhoff, Academics

Professional Learning Day

No abstract provided.

Exploratory Data Analysis On Stress In America: The Impact Of Health, Age, And Employment, Liv E. Bookhamer, Olivia Turkal, Rebecca Fang

Modern Psychological Studies

Over the past few decades, stress levels in America have increased significantly. This study explores the relationship between stress and key demographic and health-related variables using the 2018 Stress in America survey data. The research aims to examine how age, employment status, physical health, mental health, and mental health treatment influence average stress levels in the U.S. Previous studies have highlighted that younger adults, particularly those aged 18-34, experience higher levels of stress, while individuals with employment tend to report greater stress than those without. Furthermore, stress is known to be linked to physical and mental health, with severe stress …

Becoming Anything: Stem Cells And The Power Of Analogy, Sarah O’Leary-Driscoll, Dr. Jessica Amacher, Academics

Professional Learning Day

How does a single cell become a heart, a neuron, or skin? In this session, we will explore stem cells and cell differentiation through analogy-based modeling. No prior knowledge necessary! Participants will work through a hands-on analogy that makes gene expression familiar and concrete. Then we will discuss other examples, and consider what makes analogies effective and where they break down. Come to learn the fascinating science of how we each develop; leave with a powerful teaching strategy you can use in any discipline.

Ai Across The Curriculum: Early Insights From Unr Students And Faculty, Elisabeth Linn, Elena S. Azadbakht, Rosalind Bucy

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

In July 2025, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) joined librarians, educators, and administrators across 15-20 institutions to participate in an Ithaka S+R AI cohort. Ithaka S+R has worked with academic libraries, teaching and learning centers, and college administrators across more than 60 institutions, leading cohorts focused on teaching and learning with AI, integrating AI literacy into the curriculum, and more. This third cohort focused on defining, implementing, and scaling AI literacy initiatives across higher education. Through interviews with faculty and students, cohorts investigate needs surrounding AI literacy specific to their campus. This presentation will describe the preliminary results of …

Beyond Adoption: Shared Values And Guiding Questions For Ai-Aware Teaching, Sarah Cummings, Lyndsay Munro

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

We will discuss how shared questions can provide coherence without requiring uniform practice across disciplines, courses, or instructors. Examples from faculty across disciplines demonstrate how educators can begin with common values while reaching different, contextually appropriate decisions. By shifting attention from finding the single “right” approach to AI toward asking shared questions about teaching and learning, the framework offers a practical way forward amid varied practices, perspectives, and policies.

Research & Debate—Moral Injury Is A Readiness Problem: The Case For A Chaplain-Led, Peer-Intervention Model, Matthew Ikenoyama U.S. Navy

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Interrelated Risk Of The Maritime Choke-Point Network, Michael Kidd, Giana Farry, Violet G. Frost, Liam Kiley, Aakash Palathra, Moe Abdelsalam

Naval War College Review

Disruptions to choke points in various parts of the choke-point network create chains of risks spreading far and wide.Using mathematic modeling presents ways to mitigate negative impacts across the whole of the choke-point network.

Weapons Of Mass Destruction In The Curriculum: Textbook Narratives And Georgia's Standards Of Excellence, Kason Kendall, Robby Freetly

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This article examines how weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq are represented in Georgia's social studies curriculum. Standard SSUSH23.a of the Georgia Standards of Excellence requires instruction on the War on Terror but does not specify how WMDs or the Iraq War's contested justification should be addressed, leaving curriculum deelopers significant discretion. This study analyzes two widely circulated U.S. history textbooks, The American Visoin and United States History: Reconstruction to the Present, finding that both emphasize WMDs as a central justification for invasion while giving limited attention to post-invasion findings that no stockpiles were discovered. …

The American Ethic: Happy 250th Anniversary!, Matt Walker

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The American Ethic: Two hundred fifty years ago, In 1776, the American colonies faced a pivotal decision: whether to remain under British rule or to assert their independence. The Founding Fathers chose to separate from Great Britain and proceeded to clearly articulate both their justification for independence and the fundamental principles of liberty and justice upon which the new nation would be built. The Declaration of Independence, drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, was far more than a proclamation of political separation, it also presented the framework for a novel rights-based ethical system which made the extraordinary claim of universal individual …

Caldwell Hybrid Microbial-Galvanic Emergency Fuel Cell (Chfc-2/3): A Three-Tier, Central-Bio-Reactor System For Emergency Power Generation From Common And Debris Materials, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure describes a three-tier hybrid electrochemical power generation system (CHFC-2) and its scaled-up research extension (CHFC-3) that produces low-voltage DC electricity from materials available in domestic, shelter, and post-disaster debris environments. The system combines two power engines in a single cell: (1) a galvanic engine using an aluminum anode and copper cathode in an acidic saline electrolyte, producing 0.5–1.0 V within 1 hour of assembly; and (2) a microbial fuel cell (MFC) engine using soil-inoculated organic substrate, ramping up over 3–14 days and sustaining power for weeks to months with periodic refueling. The CHFC-3 extension introduces a central …

Twinning Behavior Of Molecule-Adapted Gaussian-Type Orbitals (Gtos) In Cyclo-Hydrocarbons, Tong-Hyok Cha, Gum-Chol Kim, Kwang-Jin Ri, Jin-Nam Kim, Yong-Su Pak

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The saturated cyclo-hydrocarbons CnH2n (n = 3–7) were constructed by the iterative coupling of the structural unit groups (SUGs), specifically the SUG-CH2C2 fragment, which was previously established for molecular basis optimization. For the McLean–Chandler 6-311+G basis set, under the SUG perturbation, the outer (s′, p′) and diffuse (sʺ, pʺ) primitive Gaussian type orbitals for the core-atom C* of SUG-CH2C2 undergo an off-center spatial displacement into a twinning configuration. Specifically, the s-type twins (s′, sʺ) share identical Gaussian exponents and are symmetrically shifted toward the two neighboring carbon atoms, while the p-type twins (p′, pʺ) exhibit a matching configuration. Generally, this …

Phytochemical Characterization, Cytotoxic Effects, And Potential Oxidative Dna Damage-Modulating Activities Of Arum Italicum Extract, Oznour Mourat Moustafa, Hülya Yağar

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Arum italicum is traditionally utilized in the Thrace region for the treatment of hepatic and dermatological disorders; however, experimental evidence supporting these ethnopharmacological applications remains limited. As oxidative stress-induced DNA damage is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of liver and skin diseases, the aim in the present study was to investigate the ability of A. italicum leaf and tuber extracts to modulate oxidative DNA damage in vitro using nontumorigenic and cancerous hepatic and cutaneous cell models. Phytochemical profiling, antioxidant capacity, and cytotoxic activity were also assessed to support and contextualize the observed DNA damage-related effects.In vitro investigations were conducted …

Facile One-Step Activated Glassy Carbon Electrode For Sensitive Tryptophan Sensing In Yogurt, Sevi̇lay Erdoğan Kablan, Ahmet Çeti̇nkaya, Si̇bel Özkan, Emi̇rhan Nemutlu

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Activation of glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) in tailored solution environments introduces oxygenated surface functionalities such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and quinone groups. These modifications enhance electron‐transfer kinetics and strengthen interactions with target analytes, thereby improving electrochemical sensitivity. In this study, square-wave voltammetry was used, and the most suitable supporting electrolyte for tryptophan (TRP) analysis was a pH 3 Britton–Robinson buffer. The cyclic voltammetry potential range and number of cycles for the Act-GCE were obtained as 0–1.5 V and seven cycles, respectively. The activated electrode exhibited excellent analytical performance, with a linear response for TRP over 0.20–6.28 μM, a detection limit of …

Thiophene-Carbazole-Based Covalent Organic Polymer Electrodes For Electrochromic And Supercapacitor Applications, Si̇nem Altinişik

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, a thiophene-carbazole-based conjugated organic polymer was successfully synthesized on indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass and graphite sheet substrates using in situ oxidative polymerization. In terms of electrochromic properties, the electrodes exhibited significant color change from light yellow-green to dark gray in the potential range of 0 V to 1.2 V, with optical contrast ranging from 84.2% to 47.2% and coloring efficiency of 171.3 cm2/C. The prepared PCBP-Th_ITO/glass electrode also exhibited fast switching times (tb = 0.89 s and tc = 2.05 s) at 650 nm. Furthermore, 90% optical stability was maintained after 1000 cycles. In terms of energy …

Synthesis And Catalytic Activity Of Water-Soluble Ruthenium(Ii) P-Cymene Complexes In Tandem Nitroarene Reduction/N-Methylation And Transfer Hydrogenation, Si̇nem Çakir, Serdar Batikan Kavukcu, Hayati̇ Türkmen

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, a series of water-soluble ruthenium(II) p-cymene complexes bearing carboxylic acid-functionalized ligands (Ru1–Ru3) were synthesized, fully characterized (1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR), and evaluated in two distinct catalytic transformations: tandem nitroarene reduction/N-methylation and transfer hydrogenation. Of the catalysts tested, Ru1 exhibited superior catalytic activity in both systems. Under optimized conditions (1 mol% Ru1, 8 mmol NaBH4, 110 °C, 2 h in methanol), Ru1 promoted the one-pot tandem transformation of nitrobenzene to N-methylaniline with up to 93% conversion using methanol as a sustainable C1 and H2 source. Furthermore, Ru1 proved highly effective in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone …

Rapid Synthesis Of Agcu Bimetallic Nanodendrites With Enhanced Catalytic Activity For 4-Nitrophenol Reduction, Jun Liu, Hongguang Liao, Xuanyan Liu

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Herein, AgCu nanodendrites were fabricated via a facile one-step displacement reaction at ambient temperature with Zn powder as the reducing agent. The morphology, structure, and composition of the products were systematically characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the structure and morphology of the catalysts are strongly dependent on the Ag/Cu molar ratio. The catalytic performance was evaluated by the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) at room temperature, in comparison with monometallic Ag and Cu catalysts. The catalytic activity follows the order Ag1Cu1 > Ag1Cu3 > Ag3Cu1 > Ag > Cu. The optimized Ag1Cu1 catalyst achieves 98.6% …

Effects Of Washing, Oxidation, Carboxylation, And Hydrophobicity On The Antibacterial Activity Of Graphene Oxide And Reduced Graphene Oxide, Emi̇r Boztepe, Ceren Poyraz, Ruki̇ye Taşdemi̇r, Ebru Önem, Ümran Sofu, Keri̇m Yapici

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, the effects of number of washes, oxidation degree, carboxylation, and hydrothermal reduction temperature on the antibacterial activity of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanomaterials were investigated. GO derivatives with different numbers of washes (1–5W) and oxidation levels (3X, 6X, and 9X), carboxylated GO (GO-COOH), and rGO samples obtained at different hydrothermal reduction temperatures (100, 140, and 180 °C) were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, and were subsequently evaluated for antibacterial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. …