Background: In December 2019, an episode of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) was reported in Wuhan, China and has spread around the world, increasing the number of contagions. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are common herpesviruses that can cause persistent latent infections and affect the developing immune system.The study was conducted to explore the prevalence and reactivation of CMV and EBV antibodies in COVID-19 patients group in comparison to healthy group and to investigate the association between the presence of these viruses with each of severity of disease and oral hygiene. Materials and Methods: Eighty Five subjects were participated in this case control study (50 patients with COVID-19 and 35 healthy controls), their age range from 18 to 77 years. Oral health status was established by oral hygiene index. Serum obtained from patients and controls was analyzed using ELISA to assess levels of anti- CMV and anti- EBV antibodies. Results: The study revealed that the mean of anti-EBV IgG in patients was significantly elevated (p<0.01) than that in controls. Otherwise, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in levels of anti- EBV IgM, anti- CMV IgG and IgM between two groups (P>0.05). In addition there were no significant differences between patients and controls (p>0.05) in the number and percentage of anti-EBV and anti-CMV antibodies. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in the level of anti-CMV IgM in severe cases as compared to mild cases, (P<0.01). Furthermore, these results revealed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in levels of anti-viral antibodies in patients with good oral hygiene compared to patients with poor oral hygiene. Conclusions: Higher frequency of anti-EBV IgG among patients indicates that latent infection is more common in COVID-19 patients. While an increased percentage of anti-CMV IgM indicated reactivation of latent infection and is related to disease severity suggesting that COVID-19 can cause cellular immune impairment.
Gypseous soil is considered as a problematic soil for embankment construction, however, implementation of emulsified asphalt as a stabilization agent could be a proper solution for enhancing its properties as a subgrade soil. In this work, the sustainability of asphalt stabilized soil has been assessed in terms of its resistance to cyclic (freezing-thawing) and (heating-cooling) processes. Specimens have been prepared at optimum fluid content (moisture and emulsion) and tested under direct shear stresses while subjected to 30 cycles of (freezing-thawing) and (heating-cooling). Both of dry and soaked testing conditions have been implemented. Data have been observed after each 10 cycles, and compared with that of reference mix. It was conclud
... Show MoreThis paper represents an experimental study on the application of smart control represented by the use of the fuzzy logic controller. Two-link flexible manipulators that are used in airspace and military applications are made of flexible materials characterized by low frequency and damping ratio. To solve this problem, this paper proposes the use of smart materials (piezoelectric transducers), where each link is bonded with a pair of piezoelectric transducers that act as a sensor and another as an actuator. As the arm vibrates because of the movement generated by the motor, this voltage is controlled by a regulator inside the LABVIEW® 2020 software and sends the output control voltage to the piezoelectric actuator. Experimental results
... Show MoreIn this investigation, water-soluble N-Acetyl Cysteine Capped-Cadmium Telluride QDs (NAC/CdTe nanocrystals), utilizing N-acetyl cysteine as a stabilizer, were prepared to assess their potential in differentiating between DNA extracted from pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli isolated from urine specimen) and intact DNA (extracted from blood of healthy individuals) for biomedical sensing prospective. Following the optical characterization of the synthesized QDs, the XRD analysis illustrated the construction of NAC-CdTe-QDs with a grain size of 7.1 nm. The prepared NAC-CdTe-QDs exhibited higher PL emission features at of 550 nm and UV-Vis absorption peak at 300 nm. Additionally, the energy gap quantified via PL and UV–Vis were 2.2 eV
... Show MoreIn this paper, the topic of forecasting the changes in the value of Iraqi crude oil exports for the period from 2019 to 2025, using the Markov transitional series based on the data of the time series for the period from January 2011 to November 2018, is real data obtained from the published data of the Central Agency Of the Iraqi statistics and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil that the results reached indicate stability in the value of crude oil exports according to the data analyzed and listed in the annex to the research.
Keywords: Using Markov chains
This work aimed PVA nanofibers in a range of concentrations were successfully manufactured via electrospinning. PVA NFs/Si was effectively prepared using the electrospinning process. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the prepared PVA were studied using XRD, FE-SEM, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and I-V characteristics, respectively. The amorphous structure of PVA nanofibers was observed. The optical energy gap from ultraviolet to visible was between (2.75 and 2.41) eV, making this compound highly sensitive to visible orange light at 610 nm, with a photosensitivity of 66%. The optical energy gap of PVA/Si heterojunction was utilized to modify this film from the UV to the visible spectrum. As show in the results,
... Show MoreSolar energy is one of the immeasurable renewable energy in power generation for a green, clean and healthier environment. The silicon-layer solar panels absorb sun energy and converts it into electricity by off-grid inverter. Electricity is transferred either from this inverter or from transformer, consumed by consumption unit(s) available for residential or economic purposes. The artificial neural network is the foundation of artificial intelligence and solves many complex problems which are difficult by statistical methods or by humans. In view of this, the purpose of this work is to assess the performance of the Solar - Transformer - Consumption (STC) system. The system may be in complete breakdown situation due to failure of both so
... Show MoreIn the current work various types of epoxy composites were added to concrete to enhance its effectiveness as a gamma- ray shield. Four epoxy samples of (E/clay/B4C) S1, (E/Mag/B4C) S2, (EPIL) S3 and (Ep) S4 were used in a comparative study of gamma radiation attenuation properties of these shields that calculating using Mont Carlo code (MCNP-5). Adopting Win X-com software and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), µ/ρ revealed great compliance with MCNP-5. By applying (µ/ρ) output for gamma at different energies, HVL, TVL and MFP have been also estimated. ANN technique was simulated to estimate (µ/ρ) and dose rates. According to the results, µ/ρ of all epoxy samples scored higher than standard concrete. Both S2 and S3 samples having h
... Show MoreThe presence of dyes in wastewater has become a major issue all over the world. The discharge of dyes in the environment is concerned for both toxicological and esthetical reasons. In this study, the removal of dyes from aqueous solution by electrocoagulation using aluminum electrodes as cathode and anode were investigated with the electrocoagulation cell of 1litter. The study included: the impact of various operating parameters on the dyes removal efficiency like pH, NaCl concentration, distance between electrodes, voltage, initial dyes concentration and type of electrodes. The dye (congo red) concentrations were (50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm), stirring speed was 120 rpm at room temperature. pH used was maintained constant
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