Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent ligand for AhR and a known carcinogen. While AhR activation by TCDD leads to significant immunosuppression, how this translates into carcinogenic signal is unclear. Recently, we demonstrated that activation of AhR by TCDD in naïve C57BL6 mice leads to massive induction of myeloid derived-suppressor cells (MDSCs). In the current study, we investigated the role of the gut microbiota in TCDD-mediated MDSC induction. TCDD caused significant alterations in the gut microbiome, such as increases in Prevotella and Lactobacillus, while decreasing Sutterella and Bacteroides. Fecal transplants from TCDD-treated

The behavior and shear strength of full-scale (T-section) reinforced concrete deep beams, designed according to the strut-and-tie approach of ACI Code-19 specifications, with various large web openings were investigated in this paper. A total of 7 deep beam specimens with identical shear span-to-depth ratios have been tested under mid-span concentrated load applied monotonically until beam failure. The main variables studied were the effects of width and depth of the web openings on deep beam performance. Experimental data results were calibrated with the strut-and-tie approach, adopted by ACI 318-19 code for the design of deep beams. The provided strut-and-tie design model in ACI 318-19 code provision was assessed and found to be u

The research aims at showing the effectiveness of the existing deposit facilities in the liquidity of the Iraqi banking system for the period 2010/2017. The problem of research indicates that the Iraqi banking system enjoys high liquidity levels exceeding the standard rate set by the Central Bank of Iraq amounting to 30% For an appropriate level of liquidity remains a major challenge to the management of the bank because it is a trade-off between profitability and liquidity, and also indicates the existence of funds disabled and not available for credit and investment opportunities, and based on the research hypothesis:

The existence of a significant effect of the deposit facilities existing in the liquidity of the Iraqi banking

The Vulnerable Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta (Gray, 1831) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) occurs in the Sub-Himalayan lowlands of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Little is known about its natural history, no studies have been conducted revealing its natural predators. In this study, a group of Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 (Passeriformes: Corvidae) was observed hunting and predating on an Indian Roofed Turtle carcass in the bank of river Kuakhai, Bhubaneswar, India. The first record of this predation behaviour is reported and substantiated by photographic evidence.

Background: Bone mineral density has been assessed using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. Bone mineral density is measured according to the results of the Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry examination of the vertebral column and pelvis. Although diabetes mellitus type II (DM) is known to affect bone mineral density, at the present time this particular relationship is not clear. Objective: The aim of current study was to evaluate the effects of type II diabetes mellitus on bone mineral density of the upper and lower limbs as well as gender differences. Patients and Methods: This study involved 165 patients complaining of bone pain (85 males and 80 females), 85 patients of who suffered from diabetes, involving both genders. In addition,

The study was conducted out at the Ministry of Agriculture's Poultry Research Station/Animal ResourcesDepartment/Agricultural Research Center. To see how body weight (BW) and leptin hormone (LEP) levels inbreeder blood affect fertility and hatchability. 140 Iraqi local laying chickens (120 females + 20 males) aged 28weeks were used in the study. Following the numbering of The experiment was divided into three periods,each lasting 28 days, during which the breeder's live body weight was recorded and divided into two categories(greater than 1.5 kg and less than 1.5 kg), and blood samples were collected at the end of each period todetermine the concentration of leptin hormone in the breeders' blood. For comparison between mothers'performance,

This study was carried out at the Poultry Research Station belong to state Board of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Abu Ghraib. The duration of this study was from 28 November 2013 to 15 May 2014 to evaluate the effect of supplementation different levels of organic selenium(Se-yeast) and inorganic selenium (Selenium selenite) on some productive performances of broiler breeder and selenium levels in plasma ,egg (yolk,albumin). The study included 336 female broiler breeder and 28 males (Ross 308 and arbor acres), 42 weeks old were randomly distributed to 7 dietary treatments experiment with 2 replicates / treatment (24 females and 2 male birds /replicate). The duration of the experiment was 24 weeks, and treatments were as the

This paper investigates the performance evaluation of two state feedback controllers, Pole Placement (PP) and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR). The two controllers are designed for a Mass-Spring-Damper (MSD) system found in numerous applications to stabilize the MSD system performance and minimize the position tracking error of the system output. The state space model of the MSD system is first developed. Then, two meta-heuristic optimizations, Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization and Ant Colony (AC) optimization are utilized to optimize feedback gains matrix K of the PP and the weighting matrices Q and R of the LQR to make the MSD system reach stabilization and reduce the oscillation of the response. The Matlab softwar