This paper presents an experimental and numerical study which was carried out to examine the influence of the size and the layout of the web openings on the load carrying capacity and the serviceability of reinforced concrete deep beams. Five full-scale simply supported reinforced concrete deep beams with two large web openings created in shear regions were tested up to failure. The shear span to overall depth ratio was (1.1). Square openings were located symmetrically relative to the midspan section either at the midpoint or at the interior boundaries of the shear span. Two different side dimensions for the square openings were considered, mainly, (200) mm and (230) mm. The strength results proved that the shear capacity of the deep beam is governed by the size and location of web openings. The experimental results indicated that the reduction of the shear capacity may reach (66%). ABAQUS finite element software program was used for simulation and analysis. Numerical analyses provided un-conservative estimates for deep beam load carrying capacity in the range between (5-21%). However, the maximum scatter of the finite element method predictions for first diagonal and first flexural cracking loads was not exceeding (17%). Also, at service load the numerical of midspan deflection was greater than the experimental values by (9-18%).
Ensuring security, integrity, and reliability of the election process consider as the main challenges in the electronic voting system. This paper describes the e-voting system by integrating the biometric authentication, advanced encryption, and watermarking techniques towards meeting such challenges. The system employs the fingerprint authentication by utilizing the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) for verifying the identity of the voter to ensure genuineness and non-repudiation of the service. The vote will be encrypted with the AES-GCM technique to be employed in securing the voting process, thus ensuring both data privacy and integrity. Hybrid Blind Watermarking employs the technique of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) a
... Show MoreEnterobius vermicularis infection is considered as one of the important causes of anaemia and malnutrition among children. This topic has recently received an increased amount of attention. The objective of this study is to evaluate the demographical, anthropometrical, nutritional, and haematological status of E. vermicularis infection among children. This study was conducted in Al Diwaniyah province, south of Iraq, for the period of October 2020 to the end of January 2021. The study included 122 children from both genders (males, n= 61, and females, n=61) and their ages ranged between 1 and 14 years. Nutritional status, body mass index (BMI), BMI percentile, and weight- for- age Z score were evaluated for some particip
... Show More5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, but its hepatotoxic potential poses clinical challenges, as it induces oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in liver tissue. Butein, a natural chalcone flavonoid that possesses varied biological activity, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiplatelet effects. This study aimed to evaluate the possible protective effects of Butein against 5-FU-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Male albino rats were divided into 4 Groups (of 7 animals each): control, 5-FU, and two Butein-pretreated Groups (50 and 100 mg/kg/day, orally for 14 days) each before a single intraperitoneal dose of 150 mg/kg 5-FU, which was injected on day 14. Serum liver enzymes (ALT and AST), cytokines
... Show MoreSoils encounter cyclic loading conditions in situ, for example during the earthquakes and in the construction sequences of pavements. Investigations on the local scale displacements of the soil grain and their failure patterns under the cyclic loading conditions are relatively scarce in the literature. In this study, the local displacement fields of a dense sand layer interacting with a rigid footing under the plane-strain condition are examined using both experiments and simulations. Three commonly used types of cyclic loading conditions were applied on the footing. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) is used to measure the local scale displacement fields in the soil, and to understand the ev
: Summary The establishment of the modern Iraqi state necessitated the establishment of diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. However, during the British Mandate period, these relations remained under the management of the British Embassy, which assumed responsibility for Iraq's foreign affairs. As the political situation evolved, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs began making strenuous efforts to build a competent and effective diplomatic apparatus. Iraqi diplomatic representatives played an active role in strengthening and developing Iraq's foreign relations by implementing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' directives, which focused on monitoring political, economic, and social developments in neighboring countries. This app
... Show MoreAbstract This study explores the extent to which public relations (PR) departments within Traqj governmental institutions are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) applications into their communication activities. The research adresses the growing importanc of AI in enhancing administrative efficieney, communication transparency, and stakeholder engagement. Adopting a descriptive research design, the study relied on an electtonic questionnaire distributed to PR profesionals across various ministries and government bodies, collecting 100 valid responses. The indings reveal that while younger PR practitioners are actively embracing AI, older employees show limited engagement. Most participants acquired AI-related skills through self- learn
... Show MoreThe widespread house sparrow Passer domesticus biblicus has a close association with humans and inhabits almost all ecosystems near human settlements in Iraq. It is exposed to different kinds of parasites in its habitats. Examining of house sparrow for the cestode parasites revealed that 25 specimens of 56 were infected with Raillietina echinobothrida. Intensity among infected male and female hosts with this cestode and its description is provided and discussed. The present finding constitutes the first record for this parasite in house sparrow in Iraq.
The ascaroid nematode Contracaecum rudolphii was recovered in large numbers from the
digestive tract of Phalacrocorax carbo collected in Baghdad area, Central Iraq. The infection
rates of the two sexes of the bird and some meristic and morphometric characters of the
parasite that allowed species determination of the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii were
discussed. This finding represents a new host record for this nematode in Iraq.
Hundreds of infrastructure investment projects are inserted into the Iraqi government budget annually. Many of these projects suffer from suspension, delay in completion, corruption, or other negative issues known in Iraqi construction projects. This may harm the country's economic recovery due to allocating funds to useless projects from one or more feasibility studies' components. Therefore, the best solution is to pay attention to the feasibility study reports. This study highlights the importance of feasibility studies reports for investment projects and their effective role in evaluating project ideas to ensure an equitable distribution of a country's financial resources to the most feasible investment projects. This importance
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