Objective: To study the effect of epidural spinal injection over one year in case of spinal stenosis. Methodology: This prospective study included 566 patients with spinal stenosis seen at Al-Kindy Teaching and Al-Sader, Hospitals who were treated by local epidural steroid injection. They were followed up for at least five subsequent visits after seven days, one month, three months, six months, and one year to assess efficacy. Result: Mean age of patients was 49.5 years, with a predominance of females (65%). L4/L5 was the most involved level in the spinal stenosis (70%). Grade II stenosis accounted for (45.4%) of cases. The pairwise comparison revealed that there was significant decrease in proportions of patients with pain in day 3 compared to two weeks (p<0.001). After one year, there was significant increase in patient’s number in comparison to day 3 (p<0.0001). There was a relationship between time and steroid injection that was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The patients of spinal stenosis get benefit from epidural steroids injections in early follow-up but the effect decreases over the year.
The migration from IPv4 to IPv6 can not be achieved in a brief period, thus both protocols co-exist at certain years. IETF Next Generation Transition Working Group (NGtrans) developed IPv4/IPv6 transition mechanisms. Since Iraq infrastructure, including universities, companies and institutions still use IPv4 protocol only. This research article tries to highlight, discuss a required transition roadmap and extend the local knowledge and practice on IPv6. Also, it introduces a prototype model using Packet tracer (network simulator) deployed for the design and implementation of IPv6 migration. Finally, it compares and evaluates the performance of IPv6, IPv4 and dual stack using OPNET based on QoS metrics such as throughput, delay and point to
... Show MoreAbstract
The research aims to build a training program to develop some executive functions for kindergarten children. To achieve this goal, the two researchers built the program according to the following steps:
1. Determining the general objective of the program.
2. Determining the behavioral objectives of the program.
3. Determining the included content in the program.
4. Implementing the content of the activities of the program.
5. Evaluating the Program.
The program included (12) training activities, the training activities included several items: the title of the activity, the time of implementation of the activity, the general objective of the activity, the procedural behavioral objective, the means and tools u
This paper proposes a self organizing fuzzy controller as an enhancement level of the fuzzy controller. The adjustment mechanism provides explicit adaptation to tune and update the position of the output membership functions of the fuzzy controller. Simulation results show that this controller is capable of controlling a non-linear time varying system so that the performance of the system improves so as to reach the desired state in a less number of samples.
This paper presents a fuzzy logic controller for a two-tank level control system, which is a process with a dead time. The fuzzy controller is a proportional-integral (PI-like) fuzzy controller which is suitable for steady state behavior of the system. Transient behavior of the system was improved without the need for a derivative action by suitable change in the rule base of the controller. Simulation results showed the step response of the two-tank level control system when this controller was used to control this plant and the effect of the dead time on the response of the system.
Background: Nursing interventions tailored to the smoking triggers in patients with non-communicable chronic diseases are essential. However, these interventions are scant due to the nature of factors associated with smoking cessation and the poor understanding of the effect of nurse-led intervention in Iraq.Purpose: This study aimed to determine the dominant smoking triggers and examine the effects of a tailored nursing intervention on smoking behavior in patients with non-communicable chronic diseases.Methods: Convenience samples of 128 patients with non-communicable chronic diseases, male and female patients, who were 18-70 years old, were recruited in this quasi-experimental, randomized comparative trial in the outpatient clinic
... Show MoreThe Caputo definition of fractional derivatives introduces solution to the difficulties appears in the numerical treatment of differential equations due its consistency in differentiating constant functions. In the same time the memory and hereditary behaviors of the time fractional order derivatives (TFODE) still common in all definitions of fractional derivatives. The use of properties of companion matrices appears in reformulating multilevel schemes as generalized two level schemes is employed with the Gerschgorin disc theorems to prove stability condition. Caputo fractional derivatives with finite difference representations is considered. Moreover the effect of using the inverse operator which tr
Due to the importance of nanotechnology because of its features and applications in various fields, it has become the focus of attention of the world and researchers. In this study, the concept of nanotechnology and nanomaterials was identified, the most important methods of preparing them, as well as the preparation techniques and the most important devices used in their characterization.
In this article, we aim to define a universal set consisting of the subscripts of the fuzzy differential equation (5) except the two elements and , subsets of that universal set are defined according to certain conditions. Then, we use the constructed universal set with its subsets for suggesting an analytical method which facilitates solving fuzzy initial value problems of any order by using the strongly generalized H-differentiability. Also, valid sets with graphs for solutions of fuzzy initial value problems of higher orders are found.