Effective decision-making process is the basis for successfully solving any engineering problem. Many decisions taken in the construction projects differ in their nature due to the complex nature of the construction projects. One of the most crucial decisions that might result in numerous issues over the course of a construction project is the selection of the contractor. This study aims to use the ordinal priority approach (OPA) for the contractor selection process in the construction industry. The proposed model involves two computer programs; the first of these will be used to evaluate the decision-makers/experts in the construction projects, while the second will be used to formulate the OPA mathematical model. The experts’ interview was used to identify the criteria of evaluation process of the decision-makers/experts, while Delphi survey with principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to identify the required selection criteria of the construction projects contractors. The results illustrate that there are 20 criteria for selecting the construction contractor, and 7 criteria for evaluating the decision-makers/experts in the construction projects. Finally, the proposed model has been applied in a real construction project, and showed good results.
4 Blood Res 2018;53:314-319. Received on August 11, 2018 Revised on August 30, 2018 Accepted on August 30, 2018 Background Iron overload is a risk factor affecting all patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI). We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship of serum ferritin (SF) and alanine ami- notransferase (ALT) with liver iron concentration (LIC) determined by R2 magnetic reso- nance imaging (R2-MRI), to estimate the most relevant degree of iron overload and best time to chelate in patients with TI. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 119 patients with TI (mean age years) were randomly se- lected and compared with 120 patients who had a diagnosis of thalassemia major (TM). Correlations of LIC, as determined by R2-MRI, with SF
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetes and periodontitis are considered as chronic diseases with a bidirectional relationship between them. This study aimed to determine and compare the severity of periodontal health status and salivary parameters in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Seventy participants were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into three groups: Group I: 25 patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus with chronic periodontitis, Group 2: 25 patients had chronic periodontitis and with no history of any systemic diseases, Group 3: 20 subjects had healthy periodontium and were systemically healthy. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected for measurement of salivary flow rate and pH.
... Show MoreArtificial intelligence has quickly invaded the realms of both creative and information-based writing, raising new questions about human originality, authorship and style. Despite its ability to produce writings that are coherent and stylistically varied, there are still concerns over the uniqueness and cultural neutrality of AI programs such as ChatGPT. This review covers significant recent advancements with artificial intelligence applications in both the literary and non-literary fields. It analyzes 35 recent studies contrasting authorship and creativity, or stylistic considerations and impressions, between human and AI texts. These studies range from poetic and fictional writing through essay, news article and academic publicati
... Show MoreThe human gastrointestinal system is a complex ecosystem crucial for well-being. During sepsis-induced gut injury, the integrity of the intestinal barrier can be compromised. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria, disrupts the intestinal barrier, contributing to inflammation and various dysfunctions. The current study explores the protective effects of limonene, a natural compound with diverse biological properties, against LPS-induced jejunal injury in mice. Oral administration of limonene at dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg was used in the LPS mouse model. The Murine Sepsis Score (MSS) was utilized to evaluate the severity of sepsis, while serum levels of urea and creatinine served as indicators of renal f
... Show Moreמחקר זה עוסק בנושא (העיירה היהודית) שטטל ביצירותיהם של שני סופרים עבריים שהתמקדו בביקורת בשטטל. וזה נחשב להגבלה או למכשול לפיתוחם של היהודים, אז זה התרחש ביצירותיהם והם נתנו תשומת לב רבה לזה –לפי דעתם- גם זה נחשב להיבט בהיסטוריה והחיים של היהודים באירופה.
סופרים עבריים רבים התעסקו בנושא השטטל שנהיתה לחומר ביצירותיהם. גם כן נהיתה אצל כמה מהם לשאלה חשובה, כי אם אנו מוצאים שיצירותיהם לא נטשו את האזכור
... Show MoreWater samples from a variety of sources in Kelantan, Malaysia (lakes, ponds, rivers, ditches, fish farms, and sewage) were screened for the presence of bacteriophages infecting
Abortion is a condition that occurs due to one of the pathological injuries, often one of the members of the TORCH is the real cause. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of toxoplasmosis, HSV-2 infections with abortion, and also, the identification of immunogenetics marker (interleukin-10) that may be associated with abortion. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG, IgM, Herpes simplex virus-2 IgM, human soluble leukocyte antigen class I–G and interleukin10 were estimated by ELISA technique, while the expression of IL-10 gene was investigated by using the real-time PCR. The results showed that among aborted women the rate of anti-Toxoplasma and HSV-2 IgM antibodies occurred within the age groups (21–30) years and (31–40) years 32(100.0%) a
... Show MoreIntroduction: Inadequate pain assessment and management is a problem in hospitalized patients that impairs their wellbeing. Intensive care unit nurses’ pain practices are affected by several barriers and enablers. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the level of nurses’ practices and perceived barriers related to pain assessment in critically ill patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional design study was used. Purposive sampling technique was employed, including 100 nurses recruited from 8 intensive care units in Baghdad city, Iraq. The study was conducted from September 1st to October 20th, 2022. The pain assessment and management for critically ill patients survey was used to collect data. Descriptive sta
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetic mellitus (DM) is a collection of metabolic disorder identified by hyperglycemia. The heterogeneous etiology includes defects either in insulin secretion, or in insulin action, or the both. In addition to the distraction in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Inflammatory reaction that caused by many pro-inflammatory cytokines play a central role in the pathogenicity of T2DM, these cytokines can enhance insulin resistance which led to impaired glucose homeostasis. Subjects: The study included 75 patients (38 males and 37 females) suffering from T2DM with age mean ± SE 52.30 ± 1.60, and 70 individuals as healthy controls (35 males and 35 females) with age mean ± SE 48.88 ± 0.64. Evaluation of immunological marke
... Show MoreThis research includes description of the x-ray diffraction, morphology and sensing measurements of SnO2 doped In2O3 thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition method on glass and silicon wafer substrates. In2O3:SnO2 powders were obtained by mixing In2O3 with SnO2 in the desired ratio, and calcination the at temperature 1273 K for 5 hours. SnO2 doped In2O3 thin films with different ratios (0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.09% wt.) were prepared using pulsed laser deposition method. The structural investigation using X-ray diffraction revealed that the mai