In this study water-soluble N-Acetyl Cysteine Capped-Cadmium Telluride QDs (NAC/CdTe nanocrystals) using N-acetyl cysteine as a stabilizer were prepared to investigate the utility of quantum dots (QDs) in distinguishing damaged DNA, (extracted from blood samples of leukaemia patients), from intact DNA (extracted from blood samples of healthy individuals) to be used for biosensing application. Based on the optical characterization of the prepared QDs, the XRD results revealed the formation of the NAC-CdTe-QDs with a grain size of 7.1nm. Whereas, the SEM test showed that the spherical size of the NAC-CdTe-QDs lies within 11~33nm. NAC-CdTe-QDs have superior PL emission properties at of 550nm and UV-Vis absorption peak at 300nm. The energy gap measurement through PL and UV–Vis was found to be 2.2eV and 2.3 eV, respectively. The interaction between the synthesized QDs and the extracted genomic DNA (both cancer damaged DNA and healthy undamaged DNA) was analysed optically, and compared to the normal reference DNA. The results showed a shift in the maximum fluorescence emission intensities (observed at 540nm nm for a damaged sample and 535 for a reference cell). Based on the obtained fluorescence results, the present study reached the conclusion that the prepared core/shell QDs could be employed as probes for diagnosing genetically disrupted DNA that is associated with malignant diseases from healthy DNA.
This work presents an innovative approach to enhancing the performance of concrete with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) aggregates using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Traditional limestone coarse aggregates were partially replaced with 30% and 50% RAP aggregates; a subset of mixtures containing RAP aggregates was treated with TiO2 nanoparticles. The rheological, mechanical, and long-term properties of concrete, along with changes in its chemical composition following the addition of RAP and TiO2, were evaluated. Results revealed that using 30% and 50% RAP in concrete mixtures reduced their compressive strength by 18% and 27%, respectively. However, using TiO2 in those mixtures enhanced their compressive strength by 8.7% an
... Show MoreTarget tracking is a significant application of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in which deployment of self-organizing and energy efficient algorithms is required. The tracking accuracy increases as more sensor nodes are activated around the target but more energy is consumed. Thus, in this study, we focus on limiting the number of sensors by forming an ad-hoc network that operates autonomously. This will reduce the energy consumption and prolong the sensor network lifetime. In this paper, we propose a fully distributed algorithm, an Endocrine inspired Sensor Activation Mechanism for multi target-tracking (ESAM) which reflecting the properties of real life sensor activation system based on the information circulating principle in the endocr
... Show MoreElectrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a non-traditional cutting technique for metals removing which is relied upon the basic fact that negligible tool force is produced during the machining process. Also, electrical discharge machining is used in manufacturing very hard materials that are electrically conductive. Regarding the electrical discharge machining procedure, the most significant factor of the cutting parameter is the surface roughness (Ra). Conventional try and error method is time consuming as well as high cost. The purpose of the present research is to develop a mathematical model using response graph modeling (RGM). The impact of various parameters such as (current, pulsation on time and pulsation off time) are studied on
... Show MoreThis paper introduces a non-conventional approach with multi-dimensional random sampling to solve a cocaine abuse model with statistical probability. The mean Latin hypercube finite difference (MLHFD) method is proposed for the first time via hybrid integration of the classical numerical finite difference (FD) formula with Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) technique to create a random distribution for the model parameters which are dependent on time t . The LHS technique gives advantage to MLHFD method to produce fast variation of the parameters’ values via number of multidimensional simulations (100, 1000 and 5000). The generated Latin hypercube sample which is random or non-deterministic in nature is further integrated with the FD method t
... Show MoreMen with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) face poor prognosis and increased risk of treatment-incurred adverse effects resulting in one of the highest mortalities among patient population globally. Immune cells act as double-edged sword depending on the tumor microenvironment, which leads to increased infiltration of pro-tumor (M2) macrophages. Development of new immunomodulatory therapeutic agents capable of targeting the tumor microenvironment, and hence orchestrating the differentiation of pro-tumor M2 macrophages to anti-tumor M1, would substantially improve treatment outcomes of CRPC patients. We report, herein, Mangiferin functionalized gold nanoparticles (MGF-AuNPs) and its
The goal of the research is to develop a sustainable rating system for roadway projects in Iraq for all of the life cycle stages of the projects which are (planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance). This paper investigates the criteria and its weightings of the suggested roadway rating system depending on sustainable planning activities. The methodology started in suggesting a group of sustainable criteria for planning stage and then suggesting weights from (1-5) points for each one of it. After that data were collected by using a closed questionnaire directed to the roadway experts group in order to verify the criteria weightings based on the relative importance of the roadway related impacts
... Show MoreSub-threshold operation has received a lot of attention in limited performance applications.However, energy optimization of sub-threshold circuits should be performed with the concern of the performance limitation of such circuit. In this paper, a dual size design is proposed for energy minimization of sub-threshold CMOS circuits. The optimal downsizing factor is determined and assigned for some gates on the off-critical paths to minimize the energy at the maximum allowable performance. This assignment is performed using the proposed slack based genetic algorithm which is a heuristic-mixed evolutionary algorithm. Some gates are heuristically assigned to the original and the downsized design based on their slack time determined by static tim
... Show MoreNumerous regions in the city of Baghdad experience the congestion and traffic problems. Due to the religious and economic significance, Al-Kadhimiya city (inside the metropolitan range of Baghdad) was chosen as study area. The data gathering stage was separated into two branches: the questionnaire method which is utilized to estimate the traffic volumes for the chosen roads and field data collection method which included video recording and manual counting for the volumes entering the selected signal intersections. The stage of analysis and evaluation for the seventeen urban roads, one highway, and three intersections was performed by HCS-2000 software.The presented work plots a system for assessing the level of service
... Show MoreObjective(s):To evaluate the quality of life among secondary and to find out the relationship between students'quality of life and their socio-demographic characteristics of age, gender, residence, marital status, father's and mother's education, and family financial status in Kirkuk City. Methodology: A cross-sectional study is conducted on (100) studentwho are boys and girls aged(13 to 24) years old. These subjects are studying at secondary schools in Kirkuk City.The study is carried out at secondary schools in Kirkuk City from 7th July 7th 2014 to May 7th 2015. A questionnaire is constructed for the purpose
The inhibitive action of Phenyl Thiourea (PTU) on the corrosion of mild steel in strong Hydrochloric acid, HCl, has been investigated by weight loss and potentiostatic polarization. The effect of PTU concentration, HCl concentration, and temperature on corrosion rate of mild steel were verified using 2 levels factorial design and surface response analysis through weight loss approach, while the electrochemical measurements were used to study the behavior of mild steel in 5-7N HCl at temperatures 30, 40 and 50 °C, in absence and presence of PTU. It was verified that all variables and their interaction were statistically significant. The adsorption of (PTU) is found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The effect of temperature on th
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