Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor hormone that has been identified as an important factor
responsible for the development of cardiovascular dysfunctions. ET-1 exerts its vasoconstrictor activity
through two pharmacologically distinct receptors, ETA and ETB that are found in vascular smooth muscle
cells (VSMCs) and the vasodilator activity through an ETB receptor located on endothelial cells. This study
aimed to show the impact of 1µM L-arginine (LA), 100µM tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), and their combined
effect on ET-1 activity in both lead-treated and lead-untreated rat aortic rings. This means, investigating how
endothelial dysfunction reverses the role of nitric oxide precursor and cofactor. In this study, Rat aortic rings
have been pre-incubated with BH4, LA and their combination. Subsequently, the aortic rings were preincubated with 200µM N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and 0.5µM BQ-123. Then, the vascular
response to cumulative doses of rat ET-1 was analyzed in each of the above-mentioned groups (LA, BH4, LA
& BH4, L-NAME, BQ-123), in the presence and absence of lead acetate 1µM Pb (C2H3O2)2. ET-1 efficacy and
potency were significantly decreased in the presence of LA, BH4, and LA and BH4 combination in the untreated
group, while it significantly increased in the presence of lead. In the second trial of experiments ET-1 efficacy
markedly decreased in BQ-123- incubated cells in both lead-treated and untreated aortic rings. In the presence
of lead, the efficacy of ET-1 was raised with the use of L-NAME. In conclusion, LA and BH4 can be considered
pharmacological agents to alter the potency of ET-1-induced vasoconstriction and concomitantly lower blood
pressure.
In this paper a prey - predator model with harvesting on predator species with infectious disease in prey population only has been proposed and analyzed. Further, in this model, Holling type-IV functional response for the predation of susceptible prey and Lotka-Volterra functional response for the predation of infected prey as well as linear incidence rate for describing the transition of disease are used. Our aim is to study the effect of harvesting and disease on the dynamics of this model.
The aim of this study is to compare the effects of three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on self-directed learning skills among physics undergraduates. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq. In this study, the pre- and post-test were done and the instruments were administered to the students for data collection. The data was analyzed and statistical results rejected null hypothesis of this study. This study revealed that there are no signifigant differences between PBL and PBL with lecture method, thus the PBL without or with lecture method enhances the self-directed learning skills bette
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This paper proposes a new approach, of Clustering Ultrasound images using the Hybrid Filter (CUHF) to determine the gender of the fetus in the early stages. The possible advantage of CUHF, a better result can be achieved when fuzzy c-mean FCM returns incorrect clusters. The proposed approach is conducted in two steps. Firstly, a preprocessing step to decrease the noise presented in ultrasound images by applying the filters: Local Binary Pattern (LBP), median, median and discrete wavelet (DWT),(median, DWT & LBP) and (median & Laplacian) ML. Secondly, implementing Fuzzy C-Mean (FCM) for clustering the resulted images from the first step. Amongst those filters, Median & Laplace has recorded a better accuracy. Our experimental evaluation on re
... Show MoreBackground and Aim: due to the rapid growth of data communication and multimedia system applications, security becomes a critical issue in the communication and storage of images. This study aims to improve encryption and decryption for various types of images by decreasing time consumption and strengthening security. Methodology: An algorithm is proposed for encrypting images based on the Carlisle Adams and Stafford Tavares CAST block cipher algorithm with 3D and 2D logistic maps. A chaotic function that increases the randomness in the encrypted data and images, thereby breaking the relation sequence through the encryption procedure, is introduced. The time is decreased by using three secure and private S-Boxes rather than using si
... Show MoreThis paper is concerned with preliminary test double stage shrinkage estimators to estimate the variance (s2) of normal distribution when a prior estimate of the actual value (s2) is a available when the mean is unknown , using specifying shrinkage weight factors y(×) in addition to pre-test region (R).
Expressions for the Bias, Mean squared error [MSE (×)], Relative Efficiency [R.EFF (×)], Expected sample size [E(n/s2)] and percentage of overall sample saved of proposed estimator were derived. Numerical results (using MathCAD program) and conclusions are drawn about selection of different constants including in the me
... Show MoreThe UN plans to achieve several development objectives by 2030. These objectives address global warming, a major issue. This method aims to improve sustainable accounting performance (AP). In this circumstance, AI is being applied in various fields, notably in economic, social, and environmental (ESE) domains. This research investigates how sustainable development (SD) influences AI methodologies and AP improvement. The research examined a sample of Iraqi banks listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2022. AI was measured by ATM and POS prevalence. A three-dimensional approach examined economic, social, and environmental (ESE) sustainability. Meanwhile, the performance of sustainable accounting was measured through the return on asse
... Show MoreThe tunnel’s stability during construction is a very important matter. Some methods have been proposed for stability evaluation, but the hazard warning levels (HWLs) are more applicable among these methods. Despite monitoring and applying HWLs, several collapses in Shibli twin tunnels in Iran have cast doubts on the accuracy of this criterion in the presence of water. In this study, the critical strains under different water contents were measured through uniaxial compressive strength tests on 11 different shale and marl samples. A comparison of laboratory tests and numerical results shows that the influence of the moisture content on the critical strain is negligible. In addition, the results show that there is no dir
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