It was aimed to understand the interleukin-4 (IL-4) role in etio-pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two approaches were adopted. In the first one, a quantitative expression of IL4 gene was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and such findings were correlated with some demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters, which included gender, duration of disease, disease activity score (DAS-28), rheumatoid factors (RFs), C-reactive protein (CRP) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP) antibodies. In the second approach, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL4 gene (rs2243250) was inspected by DNA sequencing using specific primers. Fifty-one Iraqi RA patients (22 males and 29 females) were enrolled in the study. They were under therapy, which was a single weekly subcutaneous dose of 25 mg of etanercept (Enbrel) for a period of 3-5 years. The results of gene expression (2-??Ct) revealed an increased expression of IL4 mRNA (Mean ± SEM: 8.247 ± 2.442), especially female patients compared to male patients (11.545 ± 3.928 vs. 3.537 ± 1.530; p = 0.03). The expression was also subjected to variations that were related to clinical and laboratory findings. With respect to IL4 gene SNP, allele and genotype frequencies showed no significant differences between RA patients and controls. In addition, the SNP genotypes had no effect on IL4 gene expression. In conclusion, an up-regulation of IL4 gene expression was observed in RA patients, and it was more pronounced in female than male patients by approximately four folds, while no association between the IL4 SNP alleles or genotypes and RA was observed.
In this paper a modified approach have been used to find the approximate solution of ordinary delay differential equations with constant delay using the collocation method based on Bernstien polynomials.
Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load. The in
... Show MoreIn recent years, there has been a very rapid development in the field of clean energy due to the huge increase in the demand, which prompted the manufacturers and the designers to increase the efficiency and operating life of the energy systems and especially for wind turbine. It can be considered that the control unit is the main key of the wind turbines. Consequently, it’s essential to understanding the working principle of this unit and spotlight on the factors which influence significantly on the performance of wind turbine system. Simulink technique is proposed to find the response of the wind turbine system under different working conditions. In this paper, it was investigated
The current research aims to describe the level of responsiveness and awareness of the officials of the General Company for Construction Industries to the indicators of the blue market strategy of (1. reduction 2. exclusion 3. increase 4. innovation) and the degree of prioritization according to their importance as well as the differences in the responses of the sample investigated according to the personal variables. As a main tool in the collection of data from the sample, which consisted of(34) officers (Associate, Manager, Section Manager, Division Officer) in the company being investigated, and computed mean, standard deviations, percentage weights,and test (x2 ) based on the SPSS. The research reached the following
... Show MoreThe main objective of this paper is to designed algorithms and implemented in the construction of the main program designated for the determination the tenser product of representation for the special linear group.
A detailed methodology is presented in this paper for the calculation of nucleate boiling safety margin (NBSM) in nuclear research reactors using a temperature function with three different thermal-hydraulic hot-spot analyses: nominal, cumulative and statistical for normal operating condition and coolant flow variation. A computer simulation program is developed for applying the methodology to the IRT-5000 reactor based on experimental core data. According to cumulative analysis as the overconservative approach, the NBSM at normal operating condition of thermal power 5 MW and coolant velocity 1.672 m/s was 2.3% with reactor power limit 5.13 MW. However, during power or coolant flow trip condition, transient nucleate boiling would occur for
... Show MoreFor more than a decade, externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites successfully utilized in retrofitting reinforced concrete structural elements. The function of CFRP reinforcement in increasing the ductility of reinforced concrete (RC) beam is essential in such members. Flexural and shear behaviors, ductility, and confinement were the main studied properties that used the CFRP as a strengthening material. However, limited attention has been paid to investigate the energy absorption of torsion strengthening of concrete members, especially two-span concrete beams. Hence, the target of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of CFRP-strengthening technique with regard to energy absorption of two-span RC
... Show MoreA modified chemical method was used to prepare titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), which were diagnosed by several techniques: X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, field emission scaning electron microscopy, energy disperse X-ray, and UV-visible spectroscopy, which proved the success of the preparation process at the nanoscale level. Where the titanium oxide particles have an average particle size equal to 6.8 nm, titanium dioxide particles were used in the process of adsorption of Congo red dye from its aqueous solutions using a batch system. The titanium oxide particles gave an adsorption efficiency of Congo red dye up to more than 79 %. The experimental data of the adsorption process were analyzed with kinetic models and
... Show Moreيصف هذا البحث الإنتاج الصديق للبيئة لجسيمات النحاس النانوية باستخدام مستخلص نبات الجرجير والحرق عند درجة حرارة 400 درجة مئوية لمدة 3 ساعات. تم استخدام SEM و TEM لتحليل حجم الجسيمات النانوية المحضرة. تم استخدام حيود الأشعة السينية لتحديد الهيكل البلوري. كشف التحليل الطيفي للأشعة السينية المشتتة للطاقة لهيكل المنتج الذي تم إنشاؤه عن مكونات النحاس والأكسجين فقط ، مما يدل على نقاء المادة المحضرة. استخدمت الماد
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