The study is devoted to both static and earthquake response analysis of retaining structures acted upon by lateral earth pressure. Two main approaches were implemented in the analysis, namely, the Mononobe-Okabe analytical method and the numerical Finite element procedure as provided in the ready software ABAQUS with explicit dynamic method. A basic case study considered in the present work is the bridge approach retaining walls as a part of AL-Jadiriya bridge intersection to obtain the effects of the backfill and the ground water on the retaining wall response including displacement of the retaining structure in addition to the behavior of the fill material. Parametric studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of several factors

In this paper, a shallow foundation (strip footing), 1 m in width is assumed to be constructed on fully saturated and partially saturated Iraqi soils, and analyzed by finite element method. A procedure is proposed to define the H – modulus function from the soil water characteristic curve which is measured by the filter paper method. Fitting methods are applied through the program (SoilVision). Then, the soil water characteristic curve is converted to relation correlating the void ratio and matric suction. The slope of the latter relation can be used to define the H – modulus function. The finite element programs SIGMA/W and SEEP/W are then used in the analysis. Eight nodded isoparametric quadrilateral elements are used for modeling

In order to study the dynamic response of historical masonry structures, a scaled down brick masonry model constructed in civil engineering department at Baghdad University to simulate a part of a real case study, which is Alkifil historic minaret. Most of the previous researches about masonry structures try to understand the behavior of the masonry under seismic loading by experimental and numerical methods. In this paper, the masonry units (bricks) simulated in scale (S= 1/6) with the exact shape of the prototype bricks. Cementitious tile adhesive was selected to be the mortar for the modeling. The height of the model designed to be 1.5 m with a 0.5 m diameter. Detailed construction steps were presented in this paper. Experts buil

Huge efforts are being made to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines. However, willingness to be vaccinated depends on factors beyond the availability of vaccines. The aim of this study was three-folded: to assess children’s rates of COVID-19 Vaccination as reported by parents, to explore parents’ attitudes towards children’s COVID-19 vaccination, and to examine the factors associated with parents’ hesitancy towards children’s vaccination in several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).

The inhibitive action of Reactive Red (RR31) dye against corrosion of carbon steel in 1M acetic acid solution has been studied using gravimetric method at temperature ranged (288-318)K. The antibacterial activity for the different concentrations of RR31 dye against different bacterial species was studied. The experimental data indicates that this dye acts as a potential inhibitor for carbon-steel in acetic acid medium and the protection efficiency increase with increasing (RR31) dye. The adsorption of (RR31) dye on the carbon steel surface was found to follow Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic data for the adsorption process such as Gibbs free energy change ∆Gads, enthalpy change ∆Hads, and entropy change ∆Sads were estima

This research aimed to predict the permanent deformation (rutting) in conventional and rubberized asphalt mixes under repeated load conditions using the Finite Element Method (FEM). A three-dimensional (3D) model was developed to simulate the Wheel Track Testing (WTT) loading. The study was conducted using the Abaqus/Standard finite element software. The pavement slab was simulated using a nonlinear creep (time-hardening) model at 40°C. The responses of the viscoplastic model under the influence of the trapezoidal amplitude of moving wheel loadings were determined for different speeds and numbers of cycles. The results indicated that a wheel speed increase from 0.5Km/h to 1.0Km/h decreased the rut depth by about 22% and 24% in conv

The research has designed for studying the relationship between manufacturing strategy and its flexibility under the flexible manufacturing system with their reflection on the competitive environmental performance of the firm. To interpret and tackle the problem, a hypothesis has formulated stating that “ the competitive performance of a firm is interpreted by the manufacturing strategy and flexibility which are derived from the firm and its business  strategies under the flexible manufacturing system”. Related literatures with their theoretical dissertations, which enhanced the thoughtful content, have analyzed. An illustrative case study on the flexible manufacturing system at Toyota Motors Corporation working at the g

Reducing a structure’s self-weight is the main goal and a major challenge for most civil constructions, especially in tall buildings and earthquake-affected buildings. One of the most adopted techniques to reduce the self-weight of concrete structures is applying voids in certain positions through the structure, just like a voided slab or BubbleDeck slab. This research aims to study, experimentally and theoretically, the structural behavior of BubbleDeck reinforced concrete slabs under the effect of harmonic load. Tow-way BubbleDeck slab of 2500mm×2500m×200mm dimensions and uniformly distributed bubbles of 120mm diameter and 160mm spacing c/c was tested experimentally under the effect of harmonic load. Numerical analysis was als

Background

Respiratory tract aspergillosis is a pulmonary disease cause by aspergillus species which are opportunistic fungi that mainly infect immuno-compromised patients .

 Objective(s)

The present study aimed to detect the frequency of pulmonary aspergillosis among clinically suspected and under follow up tuberculosis patients conducted at Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital, Omdurman, Khartoum State , Sudan during the period from December 2019 to November 2020.

 Materials and Methods

One hundred and fifty sputum samples were collected from suspected cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and under follow up tuberculosis patients. All specimens were examined using 20% KOH and cultured on two