In this work, a CW CO2 laser was used for cutting samples of the fiber-reinforced
plastics (FRP) of three different types of reinforcing material; aramide, glass and carbon.
Cutting process was investigated throughout the variation of some parameters of cutting
process and their effects on cutting quality as well as the effect of an inert gas exist in the
interaction region and finally using a mechanical chopper in order to enhance the cutting
quality. Results obtained explained the possibility to perform laser cutting with high
quality in these materials by good control of the parameters and conditions of the process.

The aim of this paper is to determine the flexural moment capacity of Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) two-way slabs based on three models proposed by previous studies (Model 1, Model 2, and Model 3). The results obtained from these models were compared with those obtained from experimental work to check the accuracy and the applicability of the adopted theoretical models. The experimental program included the testing of three simply supported RPC two-way slabs (1000x1000x70) mm each. The tested specimens had identical properties except their steel fibres volume ratios (0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 %). The comparison with the experimental data showed that (Model 3) is the most suitable one among the three models. Model 1 was found to underestimate the

Epoxy resin has many chemical features and mechanical properties, but it has a small elongation at break, low impact strength and crack propagation resistance, i.e. it exhibits a brittle behavior. In the current study, the influence of adding kaolin with variable particle size on the mechanical properties (flexural modulus E, toughness Gc, fracture toughness Kc, hardness HB, and Wear rate WR) of epoxy resin was evaluated. Composites of epoxy with varying concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 weights %) of kaolin were prepared by hand-out method. The composites showed improved (E, Gc, Kc, HB, and WR) properties with the addition of filler. Also, similar results were observed with the decrease in particle size. In addition, in this study, mult

When the guard honey bees, Apis mellifera L., form a clump at the hive entrance or on the flight board, the oriental hornet, Vespa orientails L., either creeps toward the clump or hovers over it in order to take a bee. Once the hornet creeps, only few bees facing the hornet become alert, rock their heads and antennae, open their wings, and take a posture of defense. The rest of the clump stays listless without any signal of concern. However, the clump stays dense and the defending bees do not detach themselves neither from the rest of the clump nor from each other. For this reason, it is very difficult for the hornet to grab a bee unless the latter makes a “mistake” by detaching herself from other adjacent bees. If the hornet grabs s

Background: Oral anticoagulation medication, warfarin and non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants  (NOAC) may require long term use which may affect patients’ satisfaction with their treatment and their quality of life (QOL). Objective: To compare the quality of life and treatment satisfaction among groups of patients using different anticoagulant therapies (warfarin and NOAC). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital for cardiac surgery in Baghdad in the period between December 2022 to May 2023. The study population included a convenient sample of patients receiving either warfarin or non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants treatment. The Arabic version of the short form 12

A flexible pavement structure usually comprises more than one asphalt layer, with varying thicknesses and properties, in order to carry the traffic smoothly and safely. It is easy to characterize each asphalt layer with different tests to give a full description of that layer; however, the performance of the whole; asphalt structure needs to be properly understood. Typically, pavement analysis is carried out using multi-layer linear elastic assumptions, via equations and computer programs such as KENPAVE, BISAR, etc. These types of analysis give the response parameters including stress, strain, and deflection at any point under the wheel load. This paper aims to estimate the equivalent Resilient Modulus (MR) of the asphalt concrete