The experiment aimed to compare different methods of measuring the Feed pellet durability through the effect of pellet die speeds and the particle size (mill sieve holes diameter). Feed pellet durability was studied in four different ways: pellet direct measurement (%), pellet lengths (%), pellet water absorption (%), pellet durability by drop box device (%), pellet durability by air pressure device (%). Three pellet die speeds 280, 300, and 320 rpm, three mill sieve holes diameter 2, 4, and 6 mm, have been used. The results showed that increasing the pellet die speeds from 280 to 300 then to 320 rpm led to a significant decrease in the feed pellet durability by direct measurement, drop box device, and air pressure device, while pel

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) virus is a recognized important cause of congenital CMV infection which carries a significant risk for symptomatic disease and developmental defects in newborns. Its prevalence varies from place to other and time to time. This study is conducted to estimate its prevalence in Baghdad among infants suspected of having a congenital infection and to study the associated findings.   

 Subjects and Methods: The study was carried out in Al-Alwyia pediatrics teaching hospital. Data were collected, and blood samples were taken for infants suspected to have intrauterine infections over a period of one year, from 1 October 2019 to 1 October 2020.  Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests for CMV w

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a common health problem that has a worldwide distribution. Apart from the direct effect of the virus on the liver, there are many extrahepatic manifestations among which the probable effect on bone turnover associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between treated and untreated chronic HBV infection with BMD. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included a total of 48 patients with chronic HBV (28 patients treated with tenofovir-disoproxil-fumarate [TDF] antiviral drug and 20 patients have not yet started treatment). Other age- and sex-matched 30 apparently healthy individuals were recruited to represent the hea

Health and environmental factors as well as operational difficulties are major challenges facing the development of an anaerobic digestion process. Some of these problems relate to the use of sludge collected from primary and secondary clarifier units in wastewater treatment plants for laboratory purposes.

The present study addresses the preparation of sludge for laboratory purposes by using a mixture that consists of the digested sludge, which is less pathogenic, compared to the collected sludge from the primary or secondary clarifier, and food wastes. The sludge has been tested experimentally for 19 and 32 days under mesophilic conditions. The results show a steady methane production rate from the anaerobic dig

According to the European Union Water Framework Directive requirements, diatom metrics were used to assess the ecological status of surface waters in the Gaziantep central catchment (Turkey). A total of 42 diatom taxa were identified. A few environmental factors (especially lead, copper, orthophosphate, and chromium) played significant roles on the distribution of diatom assemblages among the sampling stations. The first two axes of the canonical correspondence analysis elucidated 91.6 % of the species–environment correlations with 13.9 % of the cumulative variance of species. The applied diatom indices (TIT – Trophic Index Turkey, TI – Trophic Index, and EPI-D – Eutrophication and/or Pollution Index-Diatom) showed different results

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of local application of bisphosphonate gel and recombinant human bone morphogenic protein 2 gel, on titanium dental implant stability and marginal bone level. Twenty-seven patients with upper and lower missing posterior tooth/teeth were included in the study with a total of 71 implants that were used for rehabilitation. The implants were randomly divided into 4 groups: 3 study groups and 1 control. Group1; local application of bisphosphonate gel, group 2; local application of recombinant human bone morphogenic protein 2 gel, group 3; local application of a mixed formula of both gels. The gel application was immediately preimplant insertion, group 4; implant insertion without application of a

This paper analyses the relationship between selected macroeconomic variables and gross domestic product (GDP) in Saudi Arabia for the period 1993-2019. Specifically, it measures the effects of interest rate, oil price, inflation rate, budget deficit and money supply on the GDP of Saudi Arabia. The method employs in this paper is based on a descriptive analysis approach and ARDL model through the Bounds testing approach to cointegration. The results of the research reveal that the budget deficit, oil price and money supply have positive significant effects on GDP, while other variables have no effects on GDP and turned out to be insignificant. The findings suggest that both fiscal and monetary policies should be fo

Background: Obesity is an evolving major health problem in both developed and developing countries. Traditional obesity indices as body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip-ratio are well known measures to identify obese subjects, however, neck circumference as an index of upper-body obesity was found to be a simple and time-saving screening measure that can be used to identify obesity and the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetic patients.
Aim: to investigate the relationship of neck circumference (NC) to obesity and metabolic syndrome in Iraqi subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: The study group included 90 type 2 diabetic subjects (48 men and 42 women) aged 30-68 years. The subjects were those w

The designer must find the optimum match between the object's technical and economic needs and the performance and production requirements of the various material options when choosing material for an engineering application. This study proposes an integrated (hybrid) strategy for selecting the optimal material for an engineering design depending on design requirements. The primary objective is to determine the best candidate material for the drone wings based on Ashby's performance indices and then rank the result using a grey relational technique with the entropy weight method. Aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, composites, and wood have been suggested as suitable materials for manufacturing drone wings. The requirement