The duration of sunshine is one of the important indicators and one of the variables for measuring the amount of solar radiation collected in a particular area. Duration of solar brightness has been used to study atmospheric energy balance, sustainable development, ecosystem evolution and climate change. Predicting the average values of sunshine duration (SD) for Duhok city, Iraq on a daily basis using the approach of artificial neural network (ANN) is the focus of this paper. Many different ANN models with different input variables were used in the prediction processes. The daily average of the month, average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, cloud level and atmospheric pressure were used as input parameters in order to obtain the daily average of sunshine duration (SD) as the output. The eight-year data were divided into two categories. The first category covers whole years (annually) and the second category is seasonal. To recognize and assess the influence of different input parameters on sunshine duration, six models of ANN have been evolved. The findings showed that in the annual models, the outcomes of RMSE, MAE and R for the model with input parameters (Month, Cloud Level and Average Temperature) were the best results 1.82, 1.175 and 0.89, respectively. As for the season models, the outcomes of RMSE, MAE and R for the autumn season were the best results 1.450, 1.009 and 0.94, respectively. Accordingly, the performance of the artificial neural network is considerably effective in predicting the sunshine duration.
Abstract Background: This in-vitro study was to evaluated bitewing radiograph and tactile examination for detection secondary caries adjacent to amalgam restorations. Material and method: Sixty primary extracted molars with class I and class II amalgam restorations were selected from children, and examined by bitewing radiographs were taken by using film holders and interpreted on a backlit screen without magnification. Then, we used tactile examination with blunt probe. Result: The result of this study showed that the best cut-off points for the sample were found by a Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis, and the area under the ROC curve and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the techniques were calculated for enamel (
... Show MoreOwing to high antibacterial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, it could be considered as the main reason behind the nosocomial infections. P. aeruginosa has a well-known biofilm forming ability. The expression of polysaccharide encoding locus (pelA gene) by P. aeruginosa is essential for this ability. The purpose of the current research was to determine the biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa isolated from clinical samples and to evaluate the role of the selected PelA gene in biofilm formation using PCR method in Iraqi patients. Results revealed that 24 (96%) isolates were found to have the ability to form biofilm that was remarkably related to gentamicin resistance. Moreover, the pelA gene was found in all biofilm-producers. In c
... Show MoreThis research aims to demonstrate the knowledge pillars of the product life cycle assessment technique and how to measure the cost according to this technique, and to clarify its role in reducing costs, improving product quality and optimizing the use of available resources, and a set of results has been reached, the most important of which are: The separation of environmental costs through the use of product life cycle assessment technique helps the Management in handling the increase of these costs, reducing the rates of environmental pollution and preserving resources, which contributes to achieving the sustainability of the product, and based on the results obtained, a set of recommendations were presented, the most important of which w
... Show MoreObjective: To assess nurses' exposure to hospitals chronic diseases hazards in Thi-Qar governorate, and to identify the association between nurses' socio-demographic characteristics of age, sex, marital status, place of work, the experience and educational attainment and their exposure to the hazards of chronic diseases. Methodology: A purposive "non-probability" sample of (433) nurses who were selected from four public hospitals in Thi-qar governorate for the period from November 4th 2013 to June 8th of 2014. Results: The study results indicated that that the vast majority of participants have mild chronic di
Waste recycling is one of the modern means of treating waste and minimizing its harmful effects that have caused problems for all countries of the world through the disposal of them in a safe and healthy manner as well as achieving economic and social benefits to the United Nations, and through the goals of sustainable development. 2015-2013 seeks to solve the environmental problems, including various peoples of the world, through various projects and programs, including waste recycling. Here is the question of whether there is a relationship between waste recycling and the goals of sustainable development, the research seeks to answer through five categories to determine the type of relationship between waste recycling and the g
... Show MoreBackground: Ultrasonography has been used to examine the thickness of the lower uterine segment in women with previous cesarean sections in an attempt to predict the risk of scar dehiscence during subsequent pregnancy. The predictive value of such measurement has not been adequately assessed. Objectives: To correlate lower uterine segment thickness measured by trans abdominal ultrasound in pregnant women with previous cesarean section with that measured during cesarean section by caliper and to find out minimum lower uterine segment thickness indicative of integrity of the scar.Methods: A prospective observational study at Elwyia Maternity Teaching Hospital, from January 2011 to January 2012. A total of 143 women were enrolled in the stu
... Show MoreThis study reported the investigation of the Radio Frequency (RF) signal propagation of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) coverage in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education (EACOED), Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study aims at amplifying the quality of service and augment end users' sensitivity of the wireless services operation. The drive test method is adopted with estimation of coverage level and received signal strength. The Network Cell Info Lite application installed in three INFINIX GSM mobile phones was employed to take the measurement of the signal strength received from the transmitting stations of different mobile networks. The results of the study revealed that MTN has the maximum signal strength with a mean value
... Show MoreBackground: Spleen is a hemopoietic organ which is capable of supporting elements of different systems. It is affected by several groups of diseases; inflammatory, hematopoietic, reticuloendothelial proliferation, portal hypertension and storage diseases. Ultrasound (US) may detect mild splenomegaly before it is clinically palpable. Knowledge of the normal range of spleen size in the population being examined is a prerequisite. Racial differences in splenic length could result in incorrect interpretation of splenic measurements and such differences would make it difficult to standardize expected splenic length and to determine non- palpable splenic enlargement.Objectives: To measure the normal values of splenic lengthin Iraqi subjects an
... Show MoreExperienced economic environmentRadical changes at the end of the last century and the beginning of the present century, resulting in new concepts and expectations in all aspects of economic, political, social and even behavioral.Each of these concepts is the result of rapid developments in the intangible space. Competition is no longer limited to the mere possession of tangible material resources, but because of its link to knowledge and technology content and to the comprehensive quality standards and efficient and effective policies of States. With the increasing pace of growth and interdependence among the global economies, this resulted in the birth of a new economic system led by technological development and financial liberalizati
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