Background: Gray-scale sonography is generally
considered as a first-line diagnostic tool for patient with
suspected acute cholecystitis. It is suggested by gallstones,
Murphy's sign, thickening of the gallbladder wall and bile
sludging, but the specificity of these sonographic findings
are not as high as their sensitivity. Blood flow of the
gallbladder wall is increased in acute inflammation.
Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of
power Doppler sonography and compared with conventional
color Doppler and gray-scale sonography in diagnosing
patients with acute cholecystitis.
Type of the study: This was a cross sectional study.
Patients and methods: The study was conducted through
the period from August 2014 to August 2015 on 80 patients
with acute right upper quadrant abdominal pain and
clinically suspected acute cholecystitis. Firstly, gray-scale
sonography of the abdomen was performed. Next, color
Doppler and power Doppler sonography of the gallblader
wall was done to detect mural flow. Quantifying intramural
vascularity was performed using Uggowitzer scoring
system. Grading of vascularity ++ and +++ were suggestive
of acute cholecystitis. Results of gray-scale and Doppler
sonography were compared with post cholecystectomy
histopathological results.
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This study discusses risk management strategies caused by pandemic-related (Covid-19) suspensions in thirty-six engineering projects of different types and sizes selected from countries in the middle east and especially Iraq. The primary data collection method was a survey and questionnaire completed by selected project crew and laborers. Data were processed using Microsoft Excel to construct models to help decision-makers find solutions to the scheduling problems that may be expected to occur during a pandemic. A theoretical and practical concept for project risk management that addresses a range of global and local issues that affect schedule and cost is presented and results indicate that the most significant delays are due to a
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Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load
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Rapid worldwide urbanization and drastic population growth have increased the demand for new road construction, which will cause a substantial amount of natural resources such as aggregates to be consumed. The use of recycled concrete aggregate could be one of the possible ways to offset the aggregate shortage problem and reduce environmental pollution. This paper reports an experimental study of unbound granular material using recycled concrete aggregate for pavement subbase construction. Five percentages of recycled concrete aggregate obtained from two different sources with an originally designed compressive strength of 20–30 MPa as well as 31–40 MPa at three particle size levels, i.e., coarse, fine, and extra fine, were test
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Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of in vitro long-term simulation of oral conditions on the bond strength of PEEK CAD/CAM lingual retainers.
Material and methods: The sample consisted of 12 PEEK CAD/CAM retainers each composed of 2 centrally perforated 3x4mm pads joined by a connector. They were treated by 98% sulfuric acid for 1 minute and then conditioned with Single Bond Universal and bonded to the lingual surface of premolar teeth by 3M Transbond TM System. Half of the retainers were artificially aged using a 30-day water storage and 5000 thermocycling protocol before bond strength testing to compare with the non-aged specimens.
Results: The artificially aged retainers showed a marginally
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There are a few studies that discuss the medical causes for diabetic foot (DF) ulcerations in Iraq, one of them in Wasit province. The aim of our study was to analyze the medical, therapeutic, and patient risk factors for developing DF ulcerations among diabetic patients in Baghdad, Iraq.
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This study aims to remove Cd(II) ions from simulated wastewater by using Chlorophyceae algae (CA). Different parameters were studied to show their effects on the biosorption efficiency of CA. These parameters are: the effect of pH 3-7, initial metal ion concentration 20-200 mg/L, sorbent dos-age 0.05-2 g/L, contact time 5-180 min, and agitation speed 100-300 rpm. We found that both the Langmuir and Freundlich models appropriate for characterizing the metal removal process. The biosorption data fit best with the results of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, demonstrating that the chemisorption process is the dominant mechanism controlling the removal. CA was char-acterized using the scanning electron microscopy test, prior to and post bi
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