Braces in straight bridge systems improve the lateral-torsional buckling resistance of the girders by reducing the unbraced length, while in horizontally curved and skew bridges, the braces are primary structural elements for controlling deformations by engaging adjacent girders to act as a system to resist the potentially large forces and torques caused by the curved or skewed geometry of the bridge. The cross-frames are usually designed as torsional braces, which increase the overall strength and stiffness of the individual girders by creating a girder system that translates and rotates as a unit along the bracing lines. However, when they transmit the truck’s live load forces, they can produce fatigue cracks at their connection

Nearly a century and a half has passed since Sarah Orne Jewett published her much anthologized short story “A White Heron” (1886), but commentators on the tale missed one of the most important points in the text. It is the story’s similarity to the traditional Euro-centric fairy tale of “Little Red Riding Hood”. As an author, writing at the end of the ninetieth century, a time that witnessed the demise of the Romantic movement in America and the beginning of the age of Realism, Jewett did not romanticize her characters, despite the idyllic landscape in which “A White Heron” is set. Her story can be analyzed as a text that aims at disseminating ecological awareness among her young readers. This study focuses on Jewett

In this work lactone (1) was prepared from the reaction of p-nitro phenyl hydrazine with ethylacetoacetate, which upon treatment with benzoyl chloride afforded the lactame (2). The reaction of (2) with 2-amino phenol produced a new Schiff base (L) in good yield. Complexes of V(IV), Zr(IV), Rh(III), Pd(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) with the new Schiff base (L) have been prepared. The compounds (1, 2) were characterized by FT-IR and UV spectroscopy, as well as characterizing ligand (L) by the same techniques with elemental analysis (C.H.N) and (1H-NMR). The prepared complexes were identified and their structural geometries were suggested by using elemental analysis (C.H.N), flame atomic absorption technique, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, in additio

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a gradual loss of kidney function with diabetes and hypertension as the leading cause. Chronic kidney disease is one of these systemic diseases that can affect salivary contents. Aims: This study aimed to assess salivary immunoglobulin A, interleukin-6 and C- reactive protein in chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis and those on conservative treatment in comparison with control subjects. Materials and methods: Ninety subjects were included in this study divided into three groups: 30 patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis for at least 6 months ago; 30 patients with chronic kidney disease on conservative treatment and 30 healthy control subjects. Secretory immunoglobulin A, inte

HBV and HCV are the major causes of chronic liver diseases throughout the world, and constitute a major global health risk. There is accumulated evidence that the imbalance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine production may play an important role in the pathogenesis of viral hepatic infections and may influence the clinical outcome and disease progression. This study was undertaken to analyze the circulating levels of Tumor Necrotic Factor (TNF-α) and Th2 cytokine IL-10 in patients infected with Hepatitis B and C virus. The study population consisted of 30 patients with chronic HBV, in addition to other 30 patients with chronic HCV infection were recruited on their first examination at the Al-Kindy General Hospital in Baghdad

This study investigated the bioethanol production from green algae Chlorella vulgaris depending on its carbohydrate-enriched biomass. Four different phosphorous concentrations were employed to stimulate bioethanol production from Chlorella vulgaris. The impact of various phosphorous values on Chlorella vulgaris growth rate as well as primary product (carbohydrate) were evaluated. High performance liquid chromatography was utilized in this work. The stationary phase was identified as day 14, 12, 10 and 6 in treatments 6, 4, 2 and g/L, respectively. The findings suggest that the treatment without phosphorous addition had the highest record of carbohydrate content (22.64% dry weight) as well as the highest bioethanol yield (20.66% dry weight).

Arabian killifish, Aphanius dispar, lives in marine coastal areas of the Middle East, as well as in streams that experience a wide range of salinities and temperatures. It has been used as a mosquito control agent and for studying the toxicities of environmental pollutants. A. dispar's eggshell (chorion) and embryos are highly transparent and are suitable for high resolution microscopic observations, offering excellent visibility of live tissues.

This work describes, selenium (Se) films were deposited on clean glass substrates by dc planar magnetron sputtering technique.The dependence of sputtering deposition rate of Se film deposited on pressure and DC power has been studied. The optimum argon pressure has range (4x10-1 -8x10-2 )mbar. The optical properties such as absorption coefficient (α) was determined using the absorbance and transmission measurement from UnicoUV-2102 PC spectrophotometer, at normal incidence of light in the wavelength range of 200-850 nm. And also we calculated optical constants(refractive index (n), dielectric constant (εi,r), and Extinction coefficient (κ) for selenium films.