The Tulostoma genus, known as stalkballs or stalked puffballs, belongs to the Agaricaceae family. This study was designed to identify an unknown fungal species collected from the Al‐Dujail district in Iraq based on morphological examination and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Between April and July 2019, samples were collected from garden soil in the Al‐Dujail district, Salah Al‐Din Governorate, Iraq. Morphological characteristics were documented using light microscopy. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified, and the ITS region was amplified using conventional PCR with specific primers. The amplified products were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MEGA11 software. Morphological analysis revealed smooth, yellow to brown, nearly circular basidiospores. The ITS region amplification yielded a 588 bp fragment. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis showed 91% similarity between the sample (S1‐ITS‐Iraq) and Tulostoma winterhoffii (accession number KU518975.1). The isolate was assigned in GenBank under accession number PV249065, with phylogenetic analysis positioning S1‐ITS‐Iraq in a cluster with the Tulostoma species, with a bootstrap value of 97%, indicating a close relationship. The fungal sample from Iraq was identified as a new record within the genus Tulostoma, marking the first report of T. winterhoffii in the region.
Steel–concrete–steel (SCS) structural systems have economic and structural advantages over traditional reinforced concrete; thus, they have been widely used. The performance of concrete made from recycled rubber aggregate from scrap tires has been evaluated since the early 1990s. The use of rubberized concrete in structural construction remains necessary because of its high impact resistance, increases ductility, and produces a lightweight concrete; therefore, it adds such important properties to SCS members. In this research, the use of different concrete core materials in SCS was examined. Twelve SCS specimens were subjected to push-out monotonic loading for inspecting their mechanical performance. One specimen was constructed from co
... Show MoreFourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to analyze gasoline engine oil (SAE 5W20) samples that were exposed to seven different oxidation times (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h, and 144 h) to determine the best wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges for the discrimination of the oxidation times. The thermal oxidation process generated oil samples with varying total base number (TBN) levels. Each wavenumber (400–3900 cm−1) and wavenumber ranges identified from the literature and this study were statistically analyzed to determine which wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges could discriminate among all oxidation times. Linear regression was used with the best wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges to predict oxidation time.
... Show MoreThis article presents the results of an experimental investigation of using carbon fiber–reinforced polymer sheets to enhance the behavior of reinforced concrete deep beams with large web openings in shear spans. A set of 18 specimens were fabricated and tested up to a failure to evaluate the structural performance in terms of cracking, deformation, and load-carrying capacity. All tested specimens were with 1500-mm length, 500-mm cross-sectional deep, and 150-mm wide. Parameters that studied were opening size, opening location, and the strengthening factor. Two deep beams were implemented as control specimens without opening and without strengthening. Eight deep beams were fabricated with openings but without strengthening, while
... Show MoreThere is an interesting potential for the use of GFRP-pultruded profiles in hybrid GFRP-concrete structural elements, either for new constructions or for the rehabilitation of existing structures. This paper provides experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) specimens composite with encased pultruded GFRP I-sections. Five simply supported composite beams were tested in this experimental program to investigate the static flexural behavior of encased GFRP beams with high-strength concrete. Besides, the effect of using shear studs to improve the composite interaction between the GFRP beam and concrete as well as the effect of web stiffeners of GFRP were explored. Encasing the GFRP
... Show MoreRare-earth metal oxides (REMOs) exhibit distinctive properties, among which cerium oxide (CeO2) displays numerous industrial, technological, and medical applications. However, the inclusion of hafnium (Hf) at the cerium (Ce) site to form the (Ce1-ₓHfₓO2) lattice system at a concentration of x = 0.25 would have an impact on enhancing the physical properties of the simulated configuration. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to perform the calculations, supported by the Hubbard correction factor (U). The generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBE) was employed to analyze the electronic, structural, optical, and mechanical properties at hydrostatic pressures (P = 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 GPa). The ground state geometry of the pristine
... Show MoreBackground: Bone defect healing is a multidimensional procedure with an overlapping timeline that involves the regeneration of bone tissue. Due to bone's ability to regenerate, the vast majority of bone abnormalities can be restored intuitively under the right physiological conditions. The goal of this study is to examine the immunohistochemistry of bone sialoprotein in order to determine the effect of local application of bone sialoprotein on the healing of a rat tibia generated bone defect. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, 48 albino male rats weighing 300-400 grams and aged 6-8 months will be employed under controlled temperature, drinking, and food consumption settings. The animals will be subjected to a surgical procedure o
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