The purpose of this study is to avoid delays and cost changes that occur in emergency reconstruction projects especially in post disaster circumstances. This study is aimed to identify the factors that affect the real construction period and the real cost of a project against the estimated period of construction and the estimated cost of the project. The case study is related to the construction projects in Iraq. Thirty projects in different areas of construction in Iraq were selected as a sample for this study. Project participants from the projects authorities provided data about the projects through a data collection distributed survey made by the authors. Mathematical data analysis was used to construct a model to predict change in time and cost of the projects before the start of the construction. The artificial neural networks analysis was selected as a mathematical approach. The most important factors identified leading to schedule delays and cost increase were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security issues, selection of low-price bids, weather factors, and owner failures. The use of the ANN model for such a problem is expected to be an effective method for modeling this complicated phenomenon.
Root research requires high throughput phenotyping methods that provide meaningful information on root depth if the full potential of the genomic revolution is to be translated into strategies that maximise the capture of water deep in soils by crops. A very simple, low cost method of assessing root depth of seedlings using a layer of herbicide (
Abstract
β-thalassemia major is a genetic disease that causes sever defect in normal hemoglobin synthesis. The patients with β-thalassemia major need periodic blood transfusions that can result in accumulation of body iron, so treatment with iron chelating agent is required. Complications of this iron overload affecting many vital organs, including the liver. The aim of this work was to evaluate liver enzymes in β -thalassemia major patients with deferasirox versus without it. Two groups of β-thalassemia major patients were involved in this study named group A; 40 β-thalassemia patients of blood transfusion dependent without deferasirox, group B; 40 β-thalassemia patients of blood transfusion dependent on de
... Show MoreThe general health of palm trees, encompassing the roots, stems, and leaves, significantly impacts palm oil production, therefore, meticulous attention is needed to achieve optimal yield. One of the challenges encountered in sustaining productive crops is the prevalence of pests and diseases afflicting oil palm plants. These diseases can detrimentally influence growth and development, leading to decreased productivity. Oil palm productivity is closely related to the conditions of its leaves, which play a vital role in photosynthesis. This research employed a comprehensive dataset of 1,230 images, consisting of 410 showing leaves, another 410 depicting bagworm infestations, and an additional 410 displaying caterpillar infestations. Furthe
... Show MoreThe clayey soils have the capability to swell and shrink with the variation in moisture content. Soil stabilization is a well-known technique, which is implemented to improve the geotechnical properties of soils. The massive quantities of waste materials are resulting from modern industry methods create disposal hazards in addition to environmental problems. The steel industry has a waste that can be used with low strength and weak engineering properties soils. This study is carried out to evaluate the effect of steel slag (SS) as a by-product of the geotechnical properties of clayey soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on natural and stabilized soils. SS was added by 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20% to the soil.
... Show MoreSummary Kidney transplantation is widely performed nowadays as an optimal treatment of end stage kidney diseases. Complications such as stenosis in graft renal arteries anastomosis may occur. Different suturing techniques are available for renal artery anastomosis. We aimed to compare the incidence of renal artery stenosis of the transplanted kidney when two suture techniques (continuous or interrupted) used for renal artery anastomosis. Therefore, a retrospectively comparative study was conducted on 44 patients managed with kidney transplantation during the years 2009-2011. Patients assigned into two groups; first group included 20 patients namely, continuous suture group, and the second group included 24 patients in whom the allograft art
... Show MoreThis research has come out with that strategies made by Porter as generally strategies applicable to any size and type of economic units cannot be applied to many of the economic units in the world in generally and in Iraq especially not a lot of economic units have the resources and competencies that enable them to provide a unique product of its kind in the minds of customers and then adopt a differentiation strategy and not a lot of economic units have the resources and competencies that make them the cost leader. Differentiators and cost leaders are minority in the world while not differentiators and not cost leaders are majority in the world.
The economic units are not differentiators and not c
... Show MoreA microbial study conducted for a number of flour samples (30 samples) Uses in the bakery ovens in various areas of the city of Baghdad, by used the conventional methods used in laboratories in microbial tests and compared with the modern techniqueby usedof BacTrac Device 3400 equipped from SY-LAB Impedance analysersAustrian company.The results of two ways showed (The conventional way and BacTrac Device test)that the total counts of aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, StaphylococcusSpp. bacteria, Bacillus cereus bacteria and yeasts and molds,Most of them were within the permissible borders in the Iraqi standard for grain and its products With free samples from SalmonellaSpp. bacteria, and that the screening by BacTrac device are shorten
... Show MoreA simple, accurate and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of Procaine penicillin (PP) is described. The method is based on charge-transfer reaction of PP with metol (N-methyl-p-hydroxy aniline) in the presence of ferric sulphate to form a purple-water soluble complex ,which is stable and has a maximum absorption at 510 nm .A graph of absorbance versus concentration shows that Beer’s low is obeyed over the concentration range of 3-80 µg /ml of PP (i.e.,3-80 ppm) with a molar absorbativity of 4.945 ×103 L.mol-1.cm-1 ,Sandell sensitivity of 0.1190 µg cm-2 ,a relative error of (-1.57)-2.79 % and a standard deviation of less than 0.59 depending on the concentration of PP.The optimum conditions for full co
... Show MoreAbstract To ensure that the distribution system has safe drinking water. It is necessary to know the residual chlorine concentrations at various points in the network. A chlorine photometer device was used to measure twenty points taken every day for a week at a selected time in the distribution system. Both pressures and flows in the network were measured using bourdon gauge and Tuf-2000H Handheld Digital ultrasonic flow meters. WaterGEMS CONNECT Edition update one software was used to simulate the flow in the network. The Baghdad water department provided the data about the network, such as the lengths of pipes, the layout of the network, and pipes diameters. The network calibrated consists of 781 pipes of different lengths and 542 juncti
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