Low grade crude palm oil (LGCPO) presents as an attractive option as feedstock for biodiesel production due to its low cost and non-competition with food resources. Typically, LGCPO contains high contents of free fatty acids (FFA), rendering it impossible in direct trans-esterification processes due to the saponification reaction. Esterification is the typical pre-treatment process to reduce the FFA content and to produce fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The pre-treatment of LGCPO using two different acid catalysts, such as titanium oxysulphate sulphuric acid complex hydrate (TiOSH) and 5-sulfosalicylic acid dihydrate (5-SOCAH) was investigated for the first time in this study. The optimum conditions for the homogenous catalyst (5-SOCAH) wer

Background: Preeclampsia occurs in 3-5% of
pregnancies and is a major cause (12-20 %) of
maternal mortality in developed countries. It is the
leading cause of preterm birth and intra-uterine
growth restrictions (IUGR).
Objective: The study was designed to determine and
demonstrate the ultra structural changes of
endothelial cells in placenta of women suffering from
hypertensive disease.
Patients & Methods: Placental samples were
obtained from two groups of pregnant women
groups (preeclamptic and normal pregnant women).
The specimens were fixed in 2.5% gluteraldehyde
and preceded for electron microscopic examination.
Results: Placenta of women with preeclampsia has
shown marked degenerative

Corrosion rate tests were carried out on carbon steel under concentration cells conditions of oxygen and sodium chloride. The effect of aeration in one compartment on the corrosion rate of both coupled metals was determined. In addition, the effects of time and temperatures on the corrosion rate of both coupled metals and galvanic currents between them were investigated. Corrosion potentials for the whole range of operating conditions under concentration cell conditions were also studied.   The results showed that under aeration condition, the formation of concentration cell caused a considerable corrosion rate of the Carbon steel specimens coupled in different concentrations of O₂ and NaCl due to the galvanic effect

Curcumin is a yellow pigment produced from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant and a primary chemo preventive component of turmeric is used as a spice and food coloring ingredient. Curcumin has a large number of pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-infectious, and anti-inflammatory properties.Investigation of the geno-protective effect of curcumin on methotrexate induces chromosomal aberrations of spleen and bone marrow cells. In this study, 32 mice were used and divided into four groups (eight mice at each group) as follows: Group1 (negative control): Dimethyl sulfoxide was given intraperitoneally to mice every day for ten days.Group2 (positive control): Mice were received a single do

Objective: The approximate life span of a silicone maxillofacial prosthesis is as short as1.5–2 years of clinical service, then a new prosthesis should be fabricated. The most common reasonfor re-making the prosthesis is silicone mechanical properties degradation. The aim of this studywas to assess some mechanical properties of VST-30 silicone for maxillofacial prostheses after addi-tion of intrinsic pigments.Methods: Two types of intrinsic pigments (rayon flocking and burnt sienna); each of them wasincorporated into silicone. One hundred and twenty samples were prepared and split into 4 groupsaccording to the conducted tests (tear strength, hardness, surface roughness, and tensile strengthand elongation percentage) with 30 samples for ea

The inflammatory reactions cause nasal polyposes (NPs), which contained the paranasal sinuses and the nasal mucous membrane. They consist of recurrent multiple masses originating in the paranasal sinuses then spread from the middle meatus to the nasals cavity, which leads to the nasal blockage that causes the restriction of airflow to the olfactory area. This study aims at clarifying the role of IL-12RB2 polymorphism by using PCR technology in nasal mucosal stem cells in nasal polyps of Iraqi patients and use it as a biomarker. Fifty-eight cases of this study are referred to as nasal surgery, which selected from Dept.of Otolaryngology, Baghdad City, Iraq from May 2013 to January 2014. They were grouped into Control group (022 samples

It is widely accepted that early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) makes it possible for patients to gain access to appropriate health care services and would facilitate the development of new therapies. AD starts many years before its clinical manifestations and a biomarker that provides a measure of changes in the brain in this period would be useful for early diagnosis of AD. Given the rapid increase in the number of older people suffering from AD, there is a need for an accurate, low-cost and easy to use biomarkers that could be used to detect AD in its early stages. Potentially, the electroencephalogram (EEG) can play a vital role in this but at present, no reliable EEG biomarker exists for early diagnosis of AD. The gradual s

The study aims at finding out:
1. The students' attitude towards the mixed learning at the university.
2. The statistically significant differences in attitude towards the mixed learning at the university according to the specialization variable.
3. The statistically significant differences in attitude towards the mixed learning at the university according to the gender variable.
The researcher has constructed a scale for measuring the students' attitude towards the mixed learning at the university.
After assuring its validity and reliability, the scale has been given to a sample of (100) students. The sample is selected randomly from (4) colleges of the university of Baghdad, (2) for scientific specialization and (2)for h