Permanent deformation (rutting) of asphalt mixtures is one of the major forms of distress. Aggregate gradation is one of the most important factors affecting the permanent deformation of asphalt mixtures. Other variables are also important to understand their effects on the mixture such as temperature, binder content and compaction level. For this purpose 6 different aggregate gradations have been chosen and each one of them has been manufactured / tested with different variables. The results showed that at relatively low temperature there is little effect of aggregate packing on the permanent deformation. However, as the temperature increases the effect of gradation becomes apparent, in that the better the packing the better the resistance

In this paper, a simulation of the electrical performance for Pentacene-based top-contact bottom-gate (TCBG) Organic Field-Effect Transistors (OFET) model with Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) as gate dielectrics was studied. The effects of gate dielectrics thickness on the device performance were investigated. The thickness of the two gate dielectric materials was in the range of 100-200nm to maintain a large current density and stable performance. MATLAB simulation demonstrated for model simulation results in terms of output and transfer characteristics for drain current and the transconductance. The layer thickness of 200nm may result in gate leakage current points to the requirement of optimizing the t

Transit agencies constantly need information about system operations and passengers to support their regular scheduling and operation planning processes. The lack of these processes and cultural motivations to use public transportations contributes enormously to the reliance on the private cars rather than public transportation, resulting in traffic congestions. The traffic congestions occur mainly during peak hours and the accidents happening as a result of road accidents and construction works.  This study investigates the effects of weekday and weekend travel variability on peak hours of the passenger flow distribution on bus lines, which can effectively reflect the degree of traffic congestion. A study of passen

Recent reports provided evidence that epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and some matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. This study investigated the expression pattern of some EMT markers (E-cadherin and Vimentin) and some MMPs (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Fifty five paraffin embedded biopsies were included in this study. Expression pattern of E-cadherin and Vimentin was evaluated by immunohistochemistry while cytoplasmic mRNA expression of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by in situ hybridization. The expression of all markers were significantly increased with the increase of patient's age (? 50 years), and furthermore an increase in men expression

Background: Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli is a major concern for public health, as it reduces options to treat infections such at urinary tract infection (UTI). Green tea (Camellia sinensis) and other natural plant products have been of interest for their ability to modify antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria, a capacity largely attributed to bioactive polyphenols. Objective: The purpose of this work was to investigate in vitro the potential effect of green tea leaf ethanol extract on the antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli isolates. Materials and Methods: Green tea leaves was extracted using ethanol and re-dissolved 1% DMSO. Five concentrations of green tea leaves ethanol extract 0.60, 0.50, 0.30, 0.16 and 0

Pseudomonas aeruginosa  gram-negative, bacilli and facultative aerobic, P. aeruginosa cause cystic fibrosis patients, wounds, burns, and immunodeficienct patients,  that have many virulence factors such as pyocyanin , cytotoxic ,biofilm formation  and motility, Eighty-eight isolates belonging to P. aeruginosa were collected including the 66 clinical isolates obtained from different hospitals in Baghdad and were from different sources and 22 environmental isolates from previous studies of soil near oil fields. Microscopical and cultural characteristics were studied and diagnosed using biochemical tests, VITEC device, their ability to adhere to non-living (Polystyrene), living cell line (A549) and cytotoxicity of bacterial filtrate