This paper aims to investigate the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams considering fire resistance by adding Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregates (LECA) to the concrete mix as partial coarse aggregate replacement. LECA is a type of porous clay with a uniform pore structure with fine, closed cells and hard, tightly sintered skin. The experimental work comprised four reinforced self-compacted concrete beams. All the specimens were identical in their geometrical layout of 1600×240×200 mm, reinforcement details, and support condition (simply supported). For all the beams, the main reinforcement was provided by two bars, each having a diameter of 12 mm, while a bar of 6 mm diameter was employed for the top and shear reinforc

Background: Poly-ether-ether-ketone(PEEK) has been introduced to many dental fields. Recently it was tested as a retainer wire‎ following orthodontic treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of changing the bonding spot size and location on the performance of PEEK retainer wires. Methods: A biomechanical study involving four three-dimensional finite element models was performed. The basic model was with a 0.8 mm cylindrical cross-section PEEK wire, bonded at the center of the lingual surface of the mandibular incisors with 4 mm in diameter composite spots. Two other models were designed with 3 mm and 5 mm composite sizes. The last model was created with the composite bonding spot of the canine away from the center

The field efficacy of Actellic (organophosphate), Neporex (insect growth regulator) and
Ficam (carbamate), at the application rates of 2-4, 0.4-0.8 and 0.1-0.2 g AI/m2 respectively,
was studied against the larvae of Musca domestica L. Results of treatments involving horse
manure indicated that Actellic and Neporex produced sharp decrease of larval numbers (close
to zero) for 21d. But there was a slight recovery in larval numbers 14 d following treatment
with Ficam. The populations of predator mites were not affected due to insecticidal
applications.

Background: Wound healing, as a normal biological process in the human body, is achieved through four precisely and highly programmed phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Growth factors released in the traumatized area promote cell migration into the wound area (chemotaxis), stimulate the growth of epithelial cells and fibroblasts (mitogenesis), initiate the formulation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), and stimulate matrix formation and remodeling of the affected region. One of factors that effects on wound healing is a sex hormones and one of these hormones is an estrogen hormone. A wide range of cutaneous cell types (eg, fibroblast, endothelial, epithelial, and inflammatory) expressed estrogen receptors, in

Abstract

The aim of the research is to identify the effect of using the self-questioning strategy on the achievement of fourth-grade students in science and the development of their reflective thinking in physics in the city of Baghdad. The research sample was divided into two groups: an experimental group of (20) students and a control group of (20) students. The researchers developed two tools: a test of (40) multiple-choice questions. The second tool is a test to measure the reflective thinking skills of fourth-grade students. It consists of (25) multiple-choice questions distributed on skills as follow: reflection and observation, detection of inaccuracies, reaching conclusions, giving clear explanations, an

Most approaches to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria concentrate on discovering new antibiotics or modifying existing ones. However, one of the most promising alternatives is the use of bacteriophages. This study was focused on the isolation of bacteriophages that are specific to some of commonly human pathogens namely E. coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These bacteriophages were isolated from sewages that were collected from four different locations in Kirkuk City. Apart from S. pyogenes, bacteriophages specific to all tested bacteria were successfully isolated and tested for their effectiveness by spot test. The most effective

This study used a continuous photo-Fenton-like method to remediate textile effluent containing azo dyes especially direct blue 15 dye (DB15). A Eucalyptus leaf extract was used to create iron/copper nanoparticles supported on bentonite for use as catalysts (E@B-Fe/Cu-NPs). Two fixed-bed configurations were studied and compared. The first one involved mixing granular bentonite with E@B-Fe/Cu-NPs (GB- E@B-Fe/Cu-NPs), and the other examined the mixing of E@B-Fe/Cu-NPs with glass beads (glass beads-E@B-Fe/Cu-NPs) and filled to the fixed-bed column. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential, and atomic forces spectroscopy (AFM) techniques were used to characterize the obtained particles (NPs). The effect of flow rate and DB15 concent