This study deals with the serviceability of reinforced concrete solid and perforated rafters with openings of different shapes and sizes based on an experimental study that includes 12 post-fire non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams (solid and perforated). Three groups were formed based on heating temperature (room temperature, 400 °C, and 700 °C), each group consisting of four rafters (solid, rafters with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings, and rafter with eight circular openings) under static loading. A developed unified calculation technique for deflection and crack widths under static loading at the service stage has been provided, which comprises non-prismatic beams with or without opening exposed to flexure concentra

A compact microstrip six-port reflectometer (SPR) with extended bandwidth is proposed in this paper. The design is based on using 16-dB multi-section coupled line directional couplers and a multi-section 3-dB Wilkinson power divider operating from 1 to 6 GHz. The proposed SPR employs only two calibration standards: a matched load and an open load. As compared to other dielectric substrates, fabricating the proposed SPR involves using a low-cost (FR4) substrate. A novel algorithm is also proposed to estimate the complex reflection coefficient over the frequency ranges at which the standard performance of the circuit components is not fully satisfied. The new algorithm is based on the circles’ intersection points, which have been de

Background: Both bladder cancer and schistosomiasis are endemic in Egypt. The former has a unique epidemiological pattern, which has been linked to bladder infestation by Schistosoma. The last decades have witnessed a great reduction in the infection rate of schistosomiasis and a decline in the incidence and changes in the patterns of bladder cancer. Whether these changes are linked to each other or a co-incidence is a subject of investigations.

Method: Literature on epidemiological data of bladder cancer and Schistosoma in Egypt was searched for in Medline, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Furthermore, a hand search for literature and reports released by the Egyptian government and involved agencies was perfo

This research focuses on the synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) and Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) (pristine polymer) with Ag doped (CNT/ P3HT@Ag) nanocomposite thin films to be utilised in various practical applications. First, four samples of CNT solution and different ratios of the polymer (P3HT) [0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 wt.%] are prepared to form thin layer of P3HT@CNT nanocomposites by dip-coating method of Ag. To investigate the absorption and conductivity properties for use in various practical applications, structure, morphology, optical, and photoluminescence properties of CNT/P3HT @Ag nanocomposite are systematically evaluated in this study. In this regard, the UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 350 to 7

The first aim of the present study was performed to assay the activity of arginase in sera of women with uterine fibroid.. This study consisted of(50) women with uterine fibroid as patient's group and (30) healthy women as control group. The age ranged between (30-55) years for the two groups. The results showed that highly significant increas (P< 0.0001) in the arginase activity in sera of women with uterine fibroid (7.99± 0.23) I.U/L is found when compared with healthy group (0.52±0.02) I.U/L. The second aim was performed to isolate arginase from sera of women with uterine fibroids. The purification is done by addition of ammonium sulfate, dialysis, gel filtration chromatography by using sephadex G-50 and ion exchange chromatography by

In this work, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite was prepared and hybrid with Graphene (Gr) by casting method. The morphological and optical properties were investigated. Fourier Transformer-Infrared (FT-IR) indicates the presence of primary distinctive peaks belonging to vibration groups that describe the prepared samples. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed a uniform dispersion of graphene within the PVP-MWCNT nanocomposite. The results of the optical study show decrease in the energy gap with increasing MWCNT and graphene concentration. The absorption coefficient spectra indicate the presence of two absorption peaks at 282 and 287 nm attributed to the π-π* electronic tr

Background. Alopecia areata (AA) is a common form of noncicatricial hair loss of unknown cause, affecting 0.1-0.2% of the general population. Most evidence supports the hypothesis that it is disease of the hair follicle of autoimmune nature mediated by T-cells, with important cytokine role. Objective of the Study. The objective of this study is to study the association and changes in serum levels of interleukin-15 (IL-15) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with AA in relation to the type, activity, and disease duration. Patients and Methods. Thirty-eight patients with AA and 22 individuals without the disease as controls were enrolled in this case-controlled study conducted in the Department of Dermatology in the Al-K

Objective To highlight the main demographic characteristics and clinical profiles of female patients registered with breast cancer in Iraq; focusing on the impact of age.Methods This retrospective study enrolled 1172 female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the Main Center for Early Detection of Breast Cancer/Medical City Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Data were extracted from an established information system, developed by the principal author under supervision of WHO, that was based on valid clinical records of Iraqi patients affected by breast cancer. The recorded information regarding clinical examination comprised positive palpable lumps, bloody nipple discharge, skin changes, bilateral breast involvement, tumor