The primary objective of this study was to identify the mechanisms for the development and propagation of longitudinal cracks that initiate at the surface of composite pavement. In this study the finite element program ANSYS version (5.4) was used and the model worked out using this program has the ability to analyze a composite pavement structure of different layer properties. Also, the aim of this study was modeling and analyzing of the composite pavement structure with the physical presence of crack induced in concrete underlying layer. The results obtained indicates that increasing the thickness of the asphalt layer tends to decrease the stress intensity factor, which may be attributed to the rapidly decrease of horizontal tensile st

The study aims to build a water quality index that fits the Iraqi aquatic systems and reflects the environmental reality of Iraqi water. The developed Iraqi Water Quality Index (IQWQI) includes physical and chemical components. To build the IQWQI, Delphi method was used to communicate with local and global experts in water quality indices for their opinion regarding the best and most important parameter we can use in building the index and the established weight of each parameter. From the data obtained in this study, 70% were used for building the model and 30% for evaluating the model. Multiple scenarios were applied to the model inputs to study the effects of increasing parameters. The model was built 4 by 4 until it reached 17 parame

Breastfeeding (BF) serves as a complete nutritional source for the first six months of infant’s life. Breast milk contains all essential nutrients that necessary for the physiological growth and development of infants. The aim of this study was to compare the physiological growth of infants including weight, height and head circumference who were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and those who were given bottle-fed or mixed fed and to find a percentage of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers who contributed in this study in Sulaimani city. This study was carried out in Sulaimani city/ Kurdistan region of Iraq and the cases were enrolled between the first of October 2018 and first of October 2019. The infants’ weight, height and hea

In this work , an effective procedure of Box-Behnken based-ANN (Artificial Neural Network) and GA (Genetic Algorithm) has been utilized for finding the optimum conditions of wt.% of doping elements (Ce,Y, and Ge) doped-aluminizing-chromizing of Incoloy 800H . ANN and Box-Behnken design method have been implanted for minimizing hot corrosion rate k_p (10^-12g².cm^-4.s^-1) in Incoloy 800H at 900^oC . ANN was used for estimating the predicted values of hot corrosion rate k_p (10^-12g².cm^-4.s^-1) . The optimal wt.% of doping elements combination to obtain minimum hot corrosion rate was calculated using genetic alg

Background: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a promising implant material due to its superior biomechanical strength. However, due to its hydrophobic nature and lack of cellular adhesion properties, it has poor integration with bone tissue. Methods: A fractional CO2 laser was used with various parameters for surface texturing of PEEK substrate to enhance its surface properties. An optical microscope and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) were used to examine the surface morphology of untextured and laser-textured samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was performed to determine the effect of the laser on the microstructure of PEEK. Surface microroughness, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wettability were invest

Background: Polymer surfaces usually present problems in bonding and finishing due to their low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of plasma treatment with the use of two types of gases (oxygen and argon) on surface roughness, and chemical surface properties of acrylic resin denture base polymer material. Materials and Methods: Three heat cured acrylic resin specimens of (2*8*30 mm) dimensions were prepared for each test carried out in this study. Two tests were conducted, surface roughness test and chemical surface analysis test. Results: Application of plasma treatment increased surface roughness for both oxygen and argon plasma treated acrylic resin specimen groups compared with control untreated group,

In this work, the copper metal was treated using Nd:YAG laser with energy 1Joul to enhance corrosion resistance and improve surface properties. The copper metal has many applications in industry as well as water, oil and gas pipes. The same conditions, (laser power density, scan speed, distance between paths, medium gas-air) were applied in the laser surface treatment, After laser treatment, the samples microstructures were investigated using optical microscope (OM) to examine micro structural changes due to laser irradiation. Specimen surfaces were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), macro hardness, and corrosion test before and after laser treatment to

The [2-aminobenzothiazole]was reacted with [2,4,6 triyhydroxy-acetophenon monohydrate] to give a new ligand [2-N-2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenonyliden benzothiazole] [H3L]. This ligand was reacted with metal ions ( CoII, NiII,CuII and ZnII) in methanol as solvent with ( 1:2 ) metal : ligand ratio to give a series of new complexes with general formula [ M(H2L)2],(where:M= CoII, NiII ,CuIIand, ZnII).All compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods ( I.R , U.V – vis,HPLC) atomic absorption, along with chloride content and conductivity measurements. According to the data of these measurements we suggested a tetrahedral

A series of lanthanide metal (???) complexes have been prepared from the new azo ligand, 3-(1-methyl-2-benzimidazolylazo)-Tyrosine (MBT). The structural feature were confirmed on the basis of their elemental analysis, metal content, molar conductance, magnetic measurement, FTIR, 1 HNMR and UV-Vis spectra studies. The isolated complexes were found to have a mole ratio (1:2) (metal:ligand) stoichiometry with the general formula [Ln(MBT)2]Cl (Ln(???) = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd). The chelates were found to have octahedral structures. The FTIR spectra shows that the ligand (MBT) is coordinated to lanthanide ions as a N, N, O-tridentate anion via benzimidazole nitrogen, azo nitrogen and oxygen of hydroxyl after deprotonation. Com