Recently, a new secure steganography algorithm has been proposed, namely, the secure Block Permutation Image Steganography (BPIS) algorithm. The new algorithm consists of five main steps, these are: convert the secret message to a binary sequence, divide the binary sequence into blocks, permute each block using a key-based randomly generated permutation, concatenate the permuted blocks forming a permuted binary sequence, and then utilize a plane-based Least-Significant-Bit (LSB) approach to embed the permuted binary sequence into BMP image file format. The performance of algorithm was given a preliminary evaluation through estimating the PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of the stego image for limited number of experiments comprised hiding

In past years, structural pavement solution has been combined with destructive testing; these destructive methods are being replaced by non-destructive testing methods (NDT). Because the destructive test causes damage due to coring conducted for testing and also the difficulty of adequately repairing the core position in the field. Ultrasonic pulse velocity was used to evaluate the strength and volumetric properties of asphalt concrete, of binder course. The impact of moisture damage and testing temperature on pulse velocity has also been studied. Data were analyzed and modeled. It was found that using non-destructive testing represented by pulse velocity could be useful to predict the quality of asphalt c

The estimation of recharge to ground water is the important basics to improve the use of ground water with other available resources, and to save ground water resource from depletion, especially when using large quantity of ground water during a long time such as for agricultural purposes. Al-Wand River Basin in Iraq suffers from water shortage of its requirement of Blajo–Al-Wand Project, and to cover this shortage, the ground water plays a good role to overcome this problem. In this study, three methods were used to estimate the recharge and ground water storage for Al-Wand Basin, these methods are: Water Table Fluctuation (WTF), Water Balance of Climatic for Basin, and Water Table Balance for Basin. The results showe

Background: Axillary lymph node (ALN) enlargement with diffuse cortical thickening and conserved echogenic hilum may represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Sonographic strain elastography may help the characterization of borderline ALN. 

Aim: To evaluate the strain elastography of borderline ALN and to calculate a cutoff value of strain ratio (SR) that can identify suspicious ALN with the highest sensitivity and specificity to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures. 

Subjects and Methods: A prospective study included 45 patients who attended the Breast clinic in Oncology Teaching Hospital with borderline axillary lymphadenopathy (intact hilum and diffusely thic

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Inflammation leads to joint damage and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a measure of inflammation in many diseases. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of NLR to detect inflammation in RA, and its correlation to RA disease activity indices and some hematological parameters. A cross-sectional study involving 24 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are using MTX participated in this study. All patients were clinically evaluated using disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) and simplified disease activity index (SDAI), whereas functional disability was assessed by health assessment questionnaire di

Polyvinal alcohol was Cynoethylated , complex compound with Iodin in presence of Cu++ ions were preparated and their ultra violet (U.V) and infra red( IR) spectra were investigated. The prepared derivative and complexes were evaluated as antibacterial and antifungal agents following the standard dilution method. MIC(minimum inhibitory concentration) for each polymer using ten types of gram + ve and gram _ ve bacteria were determinated in addition to three types of fungi. The results obtainded showed that MIC, s were around 0.0011 × 103 molar for different polymetric derivatives tried.

Endoglucanase produced from Aspergillus flavus was purified by several steps including precipitation with 25 % ammonium sulphate followed by Ion –exchange chromatography, the obtained specific activity was 377.35 U/ mg protein, with a yield of 51.32 % .This step was followed by gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose -6B), when a value of specific activity was 400 U/ mg protein, with a yield of 48 %. Certain properties of this purified enzyme were investigated, the optimum pH of activity was 7 and the pH of its stability was 4.5, while the temperature stability was 40 °C for 60 min. The enzyme retained 100% of its original activity after incubation at 40 °C for 60 min; the optimum temperature for enzyme activity was 40 °C.

Abstract

The present investigation aimed to formulate a liquid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of tacrolimus to enhance its oral bioavailability by improving its dispersibility and dissolution rate. Four liquid SMEDDS were prepared using maisine CC as oil phase, labrasol ALF as surfactant and transcutol HP as co-surfactant based on the solubility studies of tacrolimus in these components. The phase behavior of the components and the area of microemulsion were evaluated using pseudoternary phase diagrams. The formulations were also assessed for thermodynamic stability, robustness to dilution, self-emulsification time, drug content, globule size and polydispersity index. The prepared SMEDDS formulations exhibi

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a bioadhesive gel of gatifloxacin for the treatment of periodontal diseases.Methods: Periodontal gels of gatifloxacin were prepared using different hydrophilic polymers such as carbopol 940 (CP 940), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) in varied concentrations, either alone or as a combination. The prepared gels were evaluated for their physical appearance, pH, drug content, viscosity, bioadhesiveness and in vitro drug release profile. The influence of the type and the concentration of polymer on the drug release as well as on viscosity and mucoadhesiveness of prepared gels were investigated.Results: The prepared gels showed acceptable physical proper