This paper presents a brief study undertaken for improving the performance of information and communication management of construction projects through investing in information and communication technologies (ICT). The work aims at first to investigate and diagnose the problems, challenges, weaknesses, and inefficiencies related to information and communication management in projects in the construction industry of Iraq. Studying the diagnosed matters and the different solutions of ICT to improve project management performance is following the investigation process. The research presents a technological system suggested to process a lot of the diagnosed problems, challenges, weakness, and inefficiencies of the construction projects and t

This paper presents a hybrid genetic algorithm (hGA) for optimizing the maximum likelihood function ln(L(phi(1),theta(1)))of the mixed model ARMA(1,1). The presented hybrid genetic algorithm (hGA) couples two processes: the canonical genetic algorithm (cGA) composed of three main steps: selection, local recombination and mutation, with the local search algorithm represent by steepest descent algorithm (sDA) which is defined by three basic parameters: frequency, probability, and number of local search iterations. The experimental design is based on simulating the cGA, hGA, and sDA algorithms with different values of model parameters, and sample size(n). The study contains comparison among these algorithms depending on MSE value. One can conc

This search include the synthesis of some new 1,3-oxazepine derivatives have been prepared, starting from reaction of L-ascorbic acid with dry acetone in presence of dry hydrogen chloride afforded the acetal (I). Treatment of the latter with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride in dry pyridine yielded the ester (II) which was dissolved in (65%) acetic acid in absolute ethanol yielded the glycol (III). The reaction of the glycol (III) with sodium periodate in distilled water at room temperature produced the aldehyde (IV). The compound (V) [2-amino-5-mercapato-1,3,4-thiadiazole] was prepared through the reaction of thiosemicarbazide with carbon disulphide (CS2) in entity of anhydrous (Na2CO3) in (abs. ethanol ). Compound (VI) [2-(5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiaz

Iraqi calcium bentonite was activated via acidification to study its structural and electrical properties. The elemental analysis of treated bentonite was determined by using X-ray fluorescence while the unit crystal structure was studied through X-ray diffraction showing disappearance of some fundamental reflections due to the treatment processes. The surface morphology, on the other hand, was studied thoroughly by Scanning Electron microscopy SEM and Atomic Force Microscope AFM showing some fragments of montmorillonite sheets. Furthermore, the electrical properties of bentonite were studied including: The dielectric permittivity, conductivity, tangent loss factor, and impedance with range of frequency (0.1-1000 KHz) at different temperatu

Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a leading cause of hospital admission and many factors are known to precipitate decompensation. We aimed to assess the decompensating factors of heart failure and the management of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). A total of 107 patients were examined, all diagnosed with ADHF in the ED of the Baghdad Teaching Hospital, from June 2017 to December 2017, and presenting with decom¬pensation (pulmonary oedema, peripheral oedema, and fatigue). The mean patient age was 62.5 ± 9.8 years (range: 43–85 years); the majority of them were in their 7th decade (37.4%), and men were slightly more than women. Hy¬pertension was the most commonly associated comorbidity (68.2%), follow

Car drivers hear many kinds of noise inside their vehicles' cabins, and the most annoying ones are the noise generated by tires, engines, and outside winds. Noise affects the comfort of the passengers inside the cabin, and it’s sad to say that modern cars are noisier in many kinds of noise signals due to using a lot of plastic materials in new budget cars. For expensive and luxury cars, the problem is solved by using better sound insulation materials, but for the budget ones, the approach used here is effective. It is called Active Noise Cancellation and can be done using analog or digital electronics. An operational amplifier and filters are used for the analog one, and in the digital one, signal processor chips are used. In engineeri

Background: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the supporting tissues of the teeth; Smoking is an important risk factor for periodontitis induces alveolar bone loss and cause an imbalance between bone resorption and bone deposition. The purpose of this study is to detect and compare the presence of incipient periodontitis among young smokers and non-smokers by measuring the distance between cement-enamel junction and alveolar crest (CEJ-Ac) using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Material and methods: The total sample composed of fifty two participants, thirty one smokers and twenty one non-smokers (age range 14-22 years). Periodontal parameters: plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI) were recorded for all teeth exc

The present work aimed to study the efficiency of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) process for water recovery from electroplating wastewater and study the factors affecting the performance of two membrane processes. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are made from polyamide as spiral wound module. The inorganic materials ZnCl2, CuCl2.2H2O, NiCl2.6H2O and CrCl3.6H2O were used as feed solutions. The operating parameters studied were: operating time, feed concentrations for heavy metal ions, operating pressure, feed flow rate, feed temperature and feed pH. The experimental results showed, the permeate concentration increased and water flux decreased with increase in time from 0 to 70 min. The permeate concentrations incre