The aim of this study is to compare the effects of three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on the understanding of thermodynamics, group work and self-directed learning skills among physics undergraduates. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq, for academic year 2011-2012. In this study, the pre and posttest were done and the instruments were administered to the students for data collection. Inferential statistics were employed to analyze data. The independent variables were the PBL, the PBL with lecture method, and the conventional teaching. Dependent variables of statistical analysis were

By- products of corn starch industry were used to prepare media for propagation the lactic acid bacteria as a natural auxotroph. The by- products used were the corn steep water (S) and gluten extract (G) after a proper treatment to get them ready for media preparation. The results showed that it was possible to replace the peptone and meat extract by gluten extract in MRS medium. The growth was approximately similar to that obtained in standard MRS media. Corn steep water (S) was used as well and the growth enhanced by including Tween – 80 at 1% level. The later media named MZ, which was superior for growing standard and local strains and starters. The MZ medium modified by adding acetate and glacial acetic acid similarly to

     In this work, lead oxide (PbO) thin films were deposited using D.C. sputtering method on a surface of glass substrates and then thermally annealed at a temperature of 473K with annealing times of (1,2 and 3) hours. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of films were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FT-IR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The structure studies confirmed that PbO films are polycrystalline structures in an orthorhombic phase with average grain size (24.51, 29.64, 46.49, 16) nm with increasing annealing time. From AFM, the roughness of the film surface  (3.26, 1.76, 1.61, 1.79) nm as the film annealing time increases. The optical band gap values of the PbO thin fi

Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) play a role in the detoxification of environmental chemicals and mutagens, such as those inhaled during tobacco smoking. There have been conflicting reports concerning GST polymorphisms as risk factors in the development of lung cancer. No studies focused on Arab populations exposed to Waterpipe (WP) tobacco smoke have been undertaken. Here Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and gene sequenc- ing were applied to analyze allelic variations in GSTP1-rs1695 and -rs1138272 amongst 123 lung cancer patients and 129 controls. The data suggest that WP smoking raised the risk of lung cancer more than three-fold (OR 3.6; 95% CI 2.1–6.0; p < 0.0001). However, there was no s

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study which was carried out to examine the influence of the size and the layout of the web openings on the load carrying capacity and the serviceability of reinforced concrete deep beams. Five full-scale simply supported reinforced concrete deep beams with two large web openings created in shear regions were tested up to failure. The shear span to overall depth ratio was (1.1). Square openings were located symmetrically relative to the midspan section either at the midpoint or at the interior boundaries of the shear span. Two different side dimensions for the square openings were considered, mainly, (200) mm and (230) mm. The strength results proved that the shear capacity of the dee

In the present work, bentonite clay was used as an adsorbent for the removal of a new prepared mono azo dye, 4-[6-bromo benzothiazolyl azo] thymol (BTAT) using batch adsorption method. The effect of many factors like adsorption time, adsorbent weight, initial BTAT concentration and temperature has been studied. The equilibrium adsorption data was described using Langmuir and frundlich adsorption isotherm. Based on kinetics study, it was found that the adsorption process follow pseudo second order kinetics. Thermodynamics data such as Gibbes Free energy ∆Gᵒ, entropy ∆Sᵒ and ∆Hᵒ were also determined using Vant Hoff plot.

Background: Primary myelofibrosis is characterized by clonal expansion of hematopoietic stem cell with a non-reactive clonal proliferation of fibroblasts and bone marrow fibrosis, which occurs at an extramedullary hematopoiesis. The clinical features of Primary myelofibrosis include anemia, marked splenomegaly and constitutional symptoms. Ineffective erythropoiesis and extra-medullary hematopoiesis are the main causes of anemia and organomegaly, respectively Objectives : the aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features, diagnostic tools and the treatment outcome of patients with primary myelofibrosis.
Patients and methods: this is a prospective study conducted at the national center of hematolo

In this work, biocompatible gold nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing the chloroauric acid with ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Colloidal gold nanoparticles were stabilized through nontoxic acacia gum sodium hydroxide .Synthesizing gold nano particle is confirmed by the change in color of chloroauric acid from yellow to ruby red and brown color depending on the stabilizers. The gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Where the peak of the absorbance of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was observed between the wave length 526 and 535 nm. The results of zeta potential were found in rang (-19, -40 mv), AFM and TEM images show two different shapes, hexagonal and spherical and the size of gold nanopartic

    The study of the geochemical characterization of sandstone rocks contributes to understand the nature of the source rocks, their tectonic setting and the effects of paleoclimate and paleo-weathering. Accordingly, twenty sandstone samples from the red sandstone units of the Gercus Formation were collected from the northeastern limb of Safin Anticline at Shaqlawa Area – Northern Iraq. The studied sandstone samples show depletion in major, trace elements contents, except for CaO, MgO and Ni, Co and Cr respectively, and general depletion in the rare earth elements (REE) contents. Major element geochemistry indicates that the red bed sandstones of the Gercus Formation are of an oceanic island arc (OIA) tectonic setting. On the other

The paper is concerned with the state and proof of the existence theorem of a unique solution (state vector) of couple nonlinear hyperbolic equations (CNLHEQS) via the Galerkin method (GM) with the Aubin theorem. When the continuous classical boundary control vector (CCBCV) is known, the theorem of existence a CCBOCV with equality and inequality state vector constraints (EIESVC) is stated and proved, the existence theorem of a unique solution of the adjoint couple equations (ADCEQS) associated with the state equations is studied. The Frcéhet derivative derivation of the "Hamiltonian" is obtained. Finally the necessary theorem (necessary conditions "NCs") and the sufficient theorem (sufficient conditions" SCs") for optimality of the stat