Urban land uses of all kinds are the constituent elements of the urban spatial structure. Because of the influence of economic and social factors, cities in general are characterized by the dynamic state of their elements over time. Urban functions occur in a certain way with different spatial patterns. Hence, urban planners and the relevant urban management teams should understand the future spatial pattern of these changes by resorting to quantitative models in spatial planning. This is to ensure that future predictions are made with a high level of accuracy so that appropriate strategies can be used to address the problems arising from such changes. The Markov chain method is one of the quantitative models used in spatial planning to analyze time series based on current values to predict the series values in the future without relying on the past or historical values of the studied series. The research questions in this study are formulated thus: What are the trends in the patterns of urban land use functions in Al-Najaf, Iraq, between 2005 to 2015? How can the values of the changes be predicted for the year 2025? The hypothesis is based on the increasing spatial functional change of land use patterns in the city during the study period due to various economic and social factors. Making accurate predictions of the size of spatial changes motivates this study as a guide to urban management towards developing possible solutions to address the effects of this change, as well as the need to understand its causes and future upward trends. The contribution of this article is the presented outlook for spatial functions for the next 10 years. The computations using the Markov chain model will enable management to understand future relations and develop appropriate policies to reduce the hazards of unplanned changes in the city. Results show that residential posts, slums, and commercial activities are getting worse, while change values for industrial functions and other things are going down.
Background: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has climbed sharply. Still, only a few safe and effective medications are approved as weight-loss drugs. Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of community pharmacists in Iraq regarding the use of Liraglutide and Semaglutide as weight-loss medications. Method: A cross-sectional survey was implemented using a validated questionnaire and a convenient sample of Iraqi community pharmacists from different governorates. The questionnaire was created after conducting a literature review of the most important articles about liraglutide and semaglutide. The questionnaire consists of three sections. The first part was used to collect demographic information. The
... Show MoreThis research investigated the influence of water-absorbent polymer balls (WAPB) on reinforced concrete beams’ structural behavior experimentally. Four self-compacted reinforced concrete beams of identical geometric layouts 150 mm × 200 mm × 1,500 mm, reinforcement details, and compressive strength
Background: Chronic periodontitis (CP) is greatly prevalent condition of inflammatory behavior. Salivary biomarker total antioxidants capacity (T-AOC) status, may be related to both periodontal condition and oral hygiene. Aims of the study: To assess the level of salivary T-AOC of patients with chronic periodontitis in comparison to healthy control and to correlate between the level of this marker with the clinical periodontal parameters (plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL)). Materials and Methods: Ninety subjects of males and females with an age ranged between (35-55) years were participated in this study. Participants were divided into two grou
... Show MoreOne of the key molecules in the conversion of sphingosine to sphingosine-1- phosphate is SPHK-1, also known as Sphingosine Kinase 1 (SPHK-1). Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid that acts as a signaling molecule and plays an essential role in inflammatory and immunomodulatory responses. S1P has recently been identified as a mediator and a biomarker in inflammatory bone diseases such as osteoporosis and inflammatory osteolysis based on the biological effects of S1P in osteoclastic and osteoblastic cells and immune cells. According to recent research, S1P may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, an inflammatory bone-destructive condition. This study assesses the salivary level SPHK-1 in periodontitis and its correlat
... Show MoreA field trial was conducted at Abu-Ghraib research station , Baghdad , Iraq . The objectives were to study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer and planting space on the performance of rape seed. A split-plot in a randomized complete of block design with three replications were used. Five levels of nitrogen fertilizer ( 120,160,200,240,280 Kg / ha ) were assigned to main plots, where as planting space in sub-plots. The result obtained confirmed that 280,240 kg / ha nitrogen maximized seed yield 1.830 , 1.773 ton/ha, oil yield,0.843,0.824 ton/ha .Results showed that planting space 30 cm produced the highest seed yield 1.90 ton / ha and oil yield , 0.884 ton / ha . Interactions between nitrogen fertilizer and p
... Show More?Natural Occurrence of aflatoxin Bi and B2 was investigated monthly in paddy rice stored for duration of six months. Aflatoxin B| was detected at the beginning of storage. The concentration of aflatoxin Bi in paddy and polished rice was found to be (0.3 and ()) ppb respectively while aflatoxin B2 W'as not detected in both paddy and polished rice afler six months of storage, concentration of aflatoxin Bi ‘ ’ ' reached 3 ppb in paddy rice and 0.9 ppb in polished rice, while the study proved that the concentration of aflatoxin in paddy rice was higher than polished rice as a result of processing which reduce the toxin
Background: Anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADDWR) is the most common form of the internal derangement (ID) of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It is a painful progressive dysfunction and clinically characterized by reciprocal clicking due to shift in the disc anteriorly in relation to the condyle and fossa during mandible elevation. Minimally invasive therapy such as intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used. PRP is a natural autologous product with a high platelet concentration obtained by centrifugation process to enhance tissue healing through several growth factors (GFs), which are released after endogenous activation. The aim of this study is to assess this technique which is increasingly used toda
... Show MoreThe research aims to shed light on the role of SAIs and the nature of their work, with the definition of the concept of quality reports and to clarify the reality of quality in the FBSA reports, the researchers reached to conclusions, including: The quality of the SAI reports is a requirement seeks to achieve any regulatory system in order to develop audit work output of the form in which its impact is reflected positively on the performance of the entities controlled, and researchers gave a set of recommendations, including: the need to increase community awareness of the importance of the FBSA Supervisory reports through conferences, seminars and workshops and that FBSA to follow-up reports, and check the quality continuously to the fa
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