Background Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder with rising prevalence. Early detection of structural damage is difficult. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for reliable biomarkers that enable an earlier diagnosis of osteoarthritis. The aim is to investigate the level of serum fibulin-3 in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis and its correlation with disease severity. Subjects and methods A case–control study was conducted at the Baqubah Teaching Hospital from November 2023 to January 2024. One hundred twenty persons participated in this study (eighty females with the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis in its early and late stages, and forty age-matched, apparently healthy control. Serum fibulin-3, ESR, CRP, and cal
... Show MoreThis work evaluates the influence of combining twisted fins in a triple-tube heat exchanger utilised for latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) in three-dimensional numerical simulation and comparing the outcome with the cases of the straight fins and no fins. The phase change material (PCM) is in the annulus between the inner and the outer tube, these tubes include a cold fluid that flows in the counter current path, to solidify the PCM and release the heat storage energy. The performance of the unit was assessed based on the liquid fraction and temperature profiles as well as solidification and the energy storage rate. This study aims to find suitable and efficient fins number and the optimum values of the Re and the inlet tem
... Show MoreAbstract Background: Augmentation cystoplasty is one of the surgical procedure for treatment of spastic neurogenic bladder that has a significant improvement in the cystometric parameters. Aim of study: The aim of this study is to describe cystometric findings pre and post augmentation cystoplasty in patients with spastic neurogenic bladder. Patients and methods: A prospective study including patients aged 6-18years with neurogenic bladder operated on for augmentation cystoplasty surgery with ilium segments due to a neurogenic bladder from the years 2020–2024. A urodynamic study was conducted before and 3 months after the surgical procedure. Non-probabilistic sample of consecutive cases. Descriptive statistics were presented using fre
... Show MoreA field study was conducted in Al-Khalis district, Diyala Governorate in 2019 to test the sensitivity of three varieties of pepper to the population density of the whitefly B. tabaci, Anaheim pepper, Aleppo and local variety, and the results showed that the Anaheim variety was the most infested with the whitefly density 4.08 whitefly/ leaf and then the local variety 2.7 whitefly/ leaf. The lowest population density was 1.25 whitefly/ leaf of Aleppo variety. Variety Aleppo also recorded the lowest percentage of whitefly infection B. tabaci of 39.22%, but not have significant differences in the percentage of whitefly infestation, as it reached 53.64% and 54.85% for the Anaheim and local varieties, respectively. The resistance of variety Alepp
... Show MoreIn this article, the concept of Menger probabilistic b-partial metric spaces (or random partial b-metric spaces) are recalled and some concerning triangle functions. In the framework of such spaces, a (b, ψ, λ)-admissible and type of (b, ψ, λ Contractive mappings are presented in this space to prove a new general fixed point theorem in that special sense. Finally, it has been enhanced by applying it to solve a delay Volterra integral equation in C[a, b], as a complete Menger probabilistic b-partial metric space.
Vitiligo is a common depigmenting skin disorder classified as an autoimmune ailment. It is linked to immune mechanisms, oxidative stress, and disturbances in the cellular environment. Among the factors contributing to histological changes, proteolytic enzymes such as collagenase stand out, due to their role in degrading components of the extracellular matrix. Prolidase is a key enzyme in collagen metabolism, involved in the breakdown of proline-rich peptides. Objective: This study aims to investigate the mechanism of collagen decline in Iraqi vitiligo patients, prolidase activity and basic homeostasis to understand their roles in disease progression. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional comparative study, and 150 p
... Show MoreThis chapter explores artificial intelligence (AI) auditing and its role in enhancing customer experience and building trust, reliability, and credibility in the digital marketing environment. It emphasizes the adoption and implementation of practices by global and international auditing firms such as Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. The chapter employs a systematic review of academic literature and professional reports, analyzing studies related to AI applications in customer experience, algorithmic auditing practices, and AI governance frameworks. However, the chapter's findings reveal a research gap: the limited integration of AI auditing and customer experience in current literature. The chapter concludes by proposing
... Show MoreSoils encounter cyclic loading conditions in situ, for example during the earthquakes and in the construction sequences of pavements. Investigations on the local scale displacements of the soil grain and their failure patterns under the cyclic loading conditions are relatively scarce in the literature. In this study, the local displacement fields of a dense sand layer interacting with a rigid footing under the plane-strain condition are examined using both experiments and simulations. Three commonly used types of cyclic loading conditions were applied on the footing. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) is used to measure the local scale displacement fields in the soil, and to understand the ev