This study examines the causes of time delays and cost overruns in a selection of thirty post-disaster reconstruction projects in Iraq. Although delay factors have been studied in many countries and contexts, little data exists from countries under the conditions characterizing Iraq during the last 10-15 years. A case study approach was used, with thirty construction projects of different types and sizes selected from the Baghdad region. Project data was gathered from a survey which was used to build statistical relationships between time and cost delay ratios and delay factors in post disaster projects. The most important delay factors identified were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security is

The present study investigated the total content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of water extracts oat (Avena sativa) and basil (Ocimum basilicum), medicinal plants. The Folin-ciocalteu reagent assay was used to estimate the total phenolic content of plants extract. The antioxidant capacity of the plants extract was tested by ferric reducing/antioxidant power Assay (FRAP) and ferric reducing scavenging activity using DPPH method, and the antimicrobial activity was measured against [Staphylococcus epidermidis; Staphylococcus aureus; Proteus spp.; Klebsiella spp.; Escherichia coli; Candida albicans] as tester strains. The total phenolic content of Avena sativa and Ocimum basilicum extracts revealed that the

In Iraq, more than 1031 school projects have been halted due to disputes and claims resulting from financial, contractual, or other issues. This research aims to identify, prioritize, and allocate the most critical risk factors that threaten these projects’ success for the duration (2017-2022). Based on a multi-step methodology developed through systematic literature reviews, realistic case studies, and semi-structured interviews, 47 risk factors were identified. Based on 153 verified responses, the survey reveals that the top-ranked risk factors are corruption and bribery, delaying the payments of the financial dues to the contractors or sub-contractors, absence of risk management strategy, multiple change orders due

The current research seeks to identify the role of the marketing intelligence system in its dimensions (customer intelligence, market intelligence, competitor intelligence, insurance product intelligence, sales representatives) and its reflection on improving the quality of the insurance service provided by the National Insurance Company represented in its dimensions (reliability, response, tangibility, Safety, the spirit of empathy, communication) adopted in the current research, and based on that, the research came as an attempt to find out the extent to which the research sample company can apply the approach of the marketing intelligence system and its impact on improving the quality of the insurance service provided to custo

Internet of Things (IoT) is a recent technology paradigm that creates a global network of machines and devices that are capable of communicating with each other. Security cameras, sensors, vehicles, buildings, and software are examples of devices that can exchange data between each other. IoT is recognized as one of the most important areas of future technologies and is gaining vast recognition in a wide range of applications and fields related to smart homes and cities, military, education, hospitals, homeland security systems, transportation and autonomous connected cars, agriculture, intelligent shopping systems, and other modern technologies. This book explores the most important IoT automated and smart applications to help the reader u

Todays, World is faced an energy crisis because of a continuous increasing the consumption of fuels due to intension demand for all types of vehicles. This study is one of the efforts dealing with reduce the weight of vehicles by using a new material of sandwich steel, which consists of two skin steel sheets with core of a polymer material. Resistance spot welding (RSW) can be easily implemented on metals; however a cupper shunt tool was designed to perform the resistance welding of sandwich steel with DP800 cover sheets to resolve a non-conductivity problem of a polymer core. Numerical simulations with SORPAS^®3D were employed to test the weldability of this new material and supported by many practical experiments. In conclus

Nanostructural cupric oxide (CuO) films were prepared on Si and glass substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) using laser Nd:YAG, using different laser pulses energies from 200 to 600 mJ. The X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) of the films showed a polycrystalline structure with a monoclinic symmetry and preferred orientation toward (111) plane with nano structure. The crystallite size was increasing with increasing of laser pulse energy. Optical properties was characterized by using UV–vis spectrometer in the wave lengthrange (200-1100) nm at room temperature. The results showed that the transmission spectrum decreases with the laser pulses energy increase. Sensitivity of NO2 gas at different operating temperatures, (50°C,

In this study, performance characteristics such as power take off (PTO) power consumption, fuel consumption, fuel consumption for the unit field-unit product were determined at different working speeds with two different PTO applications (540 and 540E) in a single row disc type silage machine. In particular, the 540E PTO application greatly reduces fuel consumption for unit work. The best results in terms of hourly fuel consumption were achieved in 540E PTO application and V1 working speed. When the field - product fuel consumption is evaluated, the best results were obtained with the 540E PTO application at the V3 working speed. When an evaluation is made considering all the parameters, it is concluded that the 540E PTO application will p

The new, standard molecular biologic system for duplicating DNA enzymatically devoid of employing a living organism, like E. coli or yeast, represents polymerases chain reaction (PCR). This technology allows an exponential intensification of a minor quantity of DNA molecule several times. Analysis can be straightforward with more DNA available. A thermal heat cycler performs a polymerization chain reaction that involves repeated cycles of heating and cooling the reactant tubes at the desired temperature for each reaction step. A heated deck is positioned on the upper reaction tube to avoid evaporating the reaction mixture (normally volumes range from 15 to 100 l per tube), or an oil layer can be placed on a reaction mixture su