PVC/Kaolinite composites were prepared by the melt intercalation method. Mechanical properties, thermal properties, flammability and water absorption percentage of prepared samples were tested. Mechanical characteristic such as tensile strength, elongation at break; hardness and impact strength (charpy type) were measured for all samples. It was found that the tensile strength and elongation at break of PVC composites decreased with increasing kaolinite loading. Also, the hardness of the composites increases with increase in filler content .The impact strength of the composites at the beginning increases at lower kaolinite loadings is due to the lack of kaolin adhesion to the matrix. However, at higher kaolin loadings. This severe agglomeration of the filler due to its high surface energy creates many crack-initiation and stress-concentration sites, which are sensitive to impact stresses and cause detrimental effects on the impact properties of the composite. There is a general increase in absorption rate with increase in kaolin content. Thermal properties of PVC /kaolinite composites were characterized using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and thermal conductivity analyzer. The results showed Tg shifted toward higher temperature for kaolinite composites compared to neat PVC .Also, thermal conductivity measurement value and effusivity increased with increasing filler loading .Heat capacity decreased with increasing filler content. The higher the filler content the higher burning time, the lower rate of burning and the lower height of the flame which are evident at 12wt. % for kaolinite.
Flexible joint robot (FJR) manipulators can offer many attractive features over rigid manipulators, including light weight, safe operation, and high power efficiency. However, the tracking control of the FJR is challenging due to its inherent problems, such as underactuation, coupling, nonlinearities, uncertainties, and unknown external disturbances. In this article, a terminal sliding mode control (TSMC) is proposed for the FJR system to guarantee the finite-time convergence of the systems output, and to achieve the total robustness against the lumped disturbance and estimation error. By using two coordinate transformations, the FJR dynamics is turned into a canonical form. A cascaded finite-time sliding mode observer (CFTSMO) is construct
... Show MoreLactiplantibacillus plantarum, one of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), is found in various foods, including dairy products, meat, and vegetables, and most of these bacteria offer beneficial effects to humans and animals as potential probiotics with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. The aim of this study was evaluating the antibacterial efficacy of L. plantarum against some foodborne bacteria isolated from dairy products. This research involved 34 dairy products, including local and imported milk, cheese, and yogurt sold locally in Baghdad province, Iraq, during May 2022. For the isolation of L. plantarum, a special medium called MRS (de Man Rogosa and Sharpe) was applied. Colonie
... Show MoreIn this paper, we build a fuzzy classification system for classifying the nutritional status of children under 5 years old in Iraq using the Mamdani method based on input variables such as weight and height to determine the nutritional status of the child. Also, Classifying the nutritional status faces a difficult challenge in the medical field due to uncertainty and ambiguity in the variables and attributes that determine the categories of nutritional status for children, which are relied upon in medical diagnosis to determine the types of malnutrition problems and identify the categories or groups suffering from malnutrition to determine the risks faced by each group or category of children. Malnutrition in children is one of the most
... Show MoreSolar distillers are a sustainable and simple solution for addressing water scarcity, but their limited productivity restricts their effectiveness. This work aimed to assess the thermal performance of a novel tracked, tilted, hexagonal tubular solar still (HTSS) of four-sectioned U-channel receiver. Two identical HTSSs were side-to-side tested in Baghdad-Iraq (33.3°N, 43.3°E) from June to September 2024. The thermal evaluation of single-axis tracking solar still, tilted at (5° to 15°) with the horizontal axis and charged with and without hydrogel beads for water depth of 60 mm. The still's thermal performance is assessed by analyzing heat transfer coefficients, energy and exergy efficiencies, as well as conducting cost and environment
... Show MoreWater scarcity, rising energy costs, and declining irrigation efficiency are significant barriers to wheat production in Iraq. This study evaluates the economic, environmental, and sustainability impacts of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into irrigation management under semiarid conditions. Field experiments conducted at the Al‐Ra'id Research Station in Baghdad during the 2025 season compared conventional diesel‐based irrigation with AI‐assisted irrigation that used soil moisture sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) controllers, and predictive weather algorithms. The analysis employed Cobb–Douglas production modeling, cost–benefit analysis, net
The UV−VIS absorption spectroscopy technique was used to study the formation of a new complex of charge transfer (CT) between bioactive organic molecules as (Nystatin) containing both a π-electrons from a conjugated system and lone-pair of electrons (amine) with Tetrachloro-1,4 benzoquinone (TCBQ) as a π-acceptor in which the transferred electron goes into its vacant anti-bonding molecular orbitals. The Tyrian purple-colored complex formed was quantitatively measured at 544 nm. This complex shows obeying Beer's law within the concentration range of (10-90) μg.ml-1The stoichiometry of the formed complex between the (Nys.) and (TCBQ) was found 1:2 as evaluated by continuous variation (Job's method) and mole ratio method The value of mola
... Show MoreThis paper deals with one of the most important issues in a foreign language teaching and learning, i.e. speaking test assessment. After giving a survey of literature written on the meaning and definition of a speaking test assessment, two sections have been devoted to tackle the most important issues in this topic. Section one, which is the theoretical part of this paper, sheds light on the basic definitions of the term ‘speaking assessment’ which are, according to the researcher’s point of view, sufficient to cover the area of the study. This section based on applied linguistic theories and researches in order to enhance our understanding of the what is meant by «a speaking test assessment«In addition,it explains the most importan
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