The aim of this study is to compare the effects of three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on the understanding of thermodynamics, group work and self-directed learning skills among physics undergraduates. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq, for academic year 2011-2012. In this study, the pre and posttest were done and the instruments were administered to the students for data collection. Inferential statistics were employed to analyze data. The independent variables were the PBL, the PBL with lecture method, and the conventional teaching. Dependent variables of statistical analysis were

The aqueous extract of banana fruits peal was tested for its effect on mitosis . The root tips of Allium cepa were used as plant test system and the bone marrow cells of the albino mice Mus musculus were used as mammalians test system in vivo .Root tips of Allium cepa were treated for four hours with five concentrations of the extract (5 , 10 , 20 , 40 ,60 mg / ml.).The Metaphase was arrested in all the treatments , the highest percentage ( 100 % ) was recorded in the first concentration , the last concentration caused stickiness and clumping of the chromosomes. The treatments did not cause significant difference in the mitotic index. The peals extract (5 mg /ml) was compared with the extracts of fruits bulb, leaves and roots of

A high Tc superconductor with a nominal composition
(Bi1-xPbx)2(Sr1-yBay)2Ca2Cu3O10+δ for (0 £ x £ 0.5) and (0 £ y £ 0.5) was prepared by
a solid state reaction method. The effect of the substitution of Pb for Bi and Ba for Sr and
quenching temperature on the superconductivity has been investigated to obtain the
optimum conditions for the formation and stabilization of the high Tc phase (2223).
The results showed that the optimum sintering temperature for the pure composition is
equal to 875°C and the sintering time is equal to 240h with heating and cooling rate of
60°C/h . Our results indicated that a small amount of (Ba = 0.1) could raise the transition
temperature (Tc), but enhancing Ba to 0.4 has raised

The present study was set to demonstrate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection and its effects on patients with systemic  lupus erythematosus (SLE) through determining their serum levels of anti-dsDNA and IL-18 antibodies. For this purpose, the sera from 132 SLE and/or toxoplasmosis patients and 30 healthy women, were collected. The study sample was divided into four groups of SLE, toxoplasmosis, SLE coinfected with toxoplasmosis, and healthy control. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were examined for all the samples using ELISA kit. The results showed a high mean level of anti-Toxoplasma IgG among SLE patients coinfected with toxoplasmosis (104.8792±12.31585pg/ml) in comparison to that in toxoplasmosis patients (91.1705±12.577

    The objective of this work was to determine and compare the physiological changes in some: blood components (packed cell volume and hemoglobin) and plasma biochemical parameters (glucose, total protein, albumin, cholesterol and triglycerides) under 3 day of different types of stress: water deprivation, starvation, overcrowding and handling stress. Twenty five male Wister rats weighted 100-120 gm, were divided randomly into five groups: control, water deprivation, starvation, overcrowding and handling stress. On the third day of stress the animals anesthetized for blood collection; the results of blood component revealed a significant increase in PCV and a significant decrease in Hb of water deprivation group and starva

This study was conducted to estimate the extent of damage to the population in Basra, southern Iraq, specifically the areas adjacent to the Shatt al-Arab and the Arabian Gulf, which are the Al-Fao district and the Al-Siba region. They are affected by the progression of saline water resulting from the lack of water imports and the Karun River interruption, which led to high concentrations of salts in the Shatt Al-Arabs. Consequently, its effect on lands and all life types in these areas requires correcting a map of the study area to drop the groundwater sites as well as calculate the total dissolved salts, electrical conductivity and pH. This study concluded that the groundwater contains very high percentages of total dissolved solid

Changes in mechanical properties of material as a result of service in different conditions can be provided by mechanical testing to assist the estimation of current internal situation of these materials, or the degree of deterioration may exist in furnaces serviced at high temperature and exceed their design life. Because of the rarity works on austenitic stainless steel material type AISI 321H, in this work, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, hardness, and absorbed energy by impact are evaluated based on experimental data obtained from mechanical testing. Samples of tubes are extracted from furnace belong to hydrotreaterunit, also samples from un-used tube material are used to make comparisons between these properti

New nanotechnology-based approaches are increasingly being investigated for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), with a particular focus on heavy oil reservoirs. Typically, the addition of a polymer to an injection fluid advances the sweep efficiency and mobility ratio of the fluid and leads to a higher crude oil recovery rate. However, harsh reservoir conditions, including high formation salinity and temperature, can limit the performance of such polymer fluids. Recently, nanofluids, that is, dispersions of nanoparticles (NPs) in a base fluid, have been recommended as EOR fluids; however, such nanofluids are unstable, even under ambient conditions. In this work, a combination of ZrO2 NPs and the polyacrylamide (PAM) polymer (ZrO2 NPs–PAM) was us

Virtual reality, VR, offers many benefits to technical education, including the delivery of information through multiple active channels, the addressing of different learning styles, and experiential-based learning. This paper presents work performed by the authors to apply VR to engineering education, in three broad project areas: virtual robotic learning, virtual mechatronics laboratory, and a virtual manufacturing platform. The first area provides guided exploration of domains otherwise inaccessible, such as the robotic cell components, robotic kinematics and work envelope.  The second promotes mechatronics learning and guidance for new mechatronics engineers when dealing with robots in a safe and interactive manner. And the thir