Objectives: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is WNT/b-catenin pathway antagonist which plays a detrimental role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This research aimed to assess serum DKK-1 levels in diabetic patients who have and have not developed DR and, compare them with the control subjects finding out whether we can use it as an indicator for DR early diagnosis and to find out which one of the widely used two groups of antidiabetic treatments had the greater effect on this biomarker and hence on the progression of DR. Methods: The study participants were divided into two subgroups: First, 70 patients (36 male, 34 female) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, among them 35 patients diagnosed with DR and 35 with no evidence of DR, and s

This research aims at identifying the level of Moral Awareness and the level of Authoritarian Parenting Style of Secondary School Students in Baghdad. Additionally, the study seeks to identify the significant difference between these two variables in term of gender (male-female), as well as the correlation between Moral Awareness and Authoritarian Parenting Style. To do this, the researchers have adopted the scale of moral awareness prepared by the (Assl 2014), which the number of its items was finalized of (28) items. As for the Authoritarian Parenting Style scale, the researcher designed a questionnaire of (22) items as the number of its finalized form. The two instruments were applied on a sample of (140) male and female Students who

The aim of this study was to propose and evaluate an eco-epidemiological model with Allee effect and nonlinear harvesting in predators. It was assumed that there is an SI-type of disease in prey, and only portion of the prey would be attacked by the predator due to the fleeing of the remainder of the prey to a safe area. It was also assumed that the predator consumed the prey according to modified Holling type-II functional response. All possible equilibrium points were determined, and the local and global stabilities were investigated. The possibility of occurrence of local bifurcation was also studied. Numerical simulation was used to further evaluate the global dynamics and the effects of varying parameters on the asymptotic behavior of

The research aims to shed light on the recent experience in the Iraqi business environment, which is the experience of the merger. To evaluate a recent experience in an important sector of the Iraqi business sectors, namely the industrial sector to enable decision-makers to review that experience to judge the extent of its success and address some of the lapses that experience that by measuring synergies can be judged on the success of the merger experience or not. The research community is the governmental industrial sector. The research sample included six cases of merger (14) companies before the merger. The Holt method was used to predict the net sales and total cost values ​​before the merger as if it were not merged. Th

Antibiotics present the greatest threat to soil and aquatic ecosystems among the different therapeutic groups of medicines (which include prescription drugs and treatments for cancer). The strongest drugs, antibiotics, have been utilized to stop the growth of microorganisms or eradicate them. Using high-performance liquid chromatography technology with fluorescence detection, the amounts of levofloxacin and tetracycline in the wastewater from three hospitals (Medical City, AlKindi, and Al-Yarmouk) were determined. Levofloxacin and tetracycline were chosen in this study because they are the most important water pollutants. These antibiotic residues were separated and measured using a gradient elution technique on a reverse-phase C18 co

Antibiotics present the greatest threat to soil and aquatic ecosystems among the different therapeutic groups of medicines (which include prescription drugs and treatments for cancer). The strongest drugs, antibiotics, have been utilized to stop the growth of microorganisms or eradicate them. Using high-performance liquid chromatography technology with fluorescence detection, the amounts of levofloxacin and tetracycline in the wastewater from three hospitals (Medical City, Al-Kindi, and Al-Yarmouk) were determined. Levofloxacin and tetracycline were chosen in this study because they are the most important water pollutants. These antibiotic residues were separated and measured using a gradient elution technique on a reverse-phase C18

Enhancement of heat transfer in the tube heat exchanger is studied experimentally by using discrete twisted tapes. Three different positions were selected for inserting turbulators along tube section (horizontal position by α= 0⁰, inclined position by α= 45 ⁰ and vertical position by α= 90⁰). The space between turbulators was fixed by distributing 5 pieces of these turbulators with pitch ratio    PR = (0.44). Also, the factor of constant heat flux was applied as a boundary condition around the tube test section for all experiments of this investigation, while the flow rates were selected as a variable factor (Reynolds number values vary from 5000 to 15000). The results s

The aim of the present study is to examine the effectiveness of a proposed unite in voluntary work in enhancing critical thinking skills and the attitudes towards responsible citizenship among eighth grade female students in the Sultanate of Oman. In order to collect the study data, the researchers employed a quasi-experimental research design with twenty female students from Al-Sideeqah bint Al-Sideeq for basic education school. The research data were collected via a critical thinking test that consisted of twenty-five items and a scale of twenty items under three different dimensions, which aimed to measure students' attitudes towards responsible citizenship. The researchers implemented these two instruments as pre- and post the experi

Abstract

     The aim of this research is to identify the effectiveness of thinking skills in developing the life skills of the students of the first Academic year, particularly the differences in life skills according to the variable of study specialization (human-scientific). To achieve the research objectives, the life skills scale was constructed on the classification of (WHO). The psychometric properties of the scale were examined. The validity of the scale, which is the final form of (60) items, was valid for measuring the life skills. The scale was then applied to the research sample of (112) students of the first year of the University of Bisha.  The SPSS program processed

Background: The microhardness of a composite resin is a vital parameter that is used to determine its clinical behavior. Measuring the microhardness of a composite resin has been used as an indirect method to assess its degree of conversion and extent of polymerization. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of three curing distances (0, 2, and 4 mm) on the microhardness of the top and bottom surfaces of three types of flowable bulk-fill composite resins (smart dentin replacement, Opus bulk fill flow, and Tetric N). Material and method: Sixty-three specimens from the three types of composite resins (n=21) were fabricated using Teflon mold with a 4mm depth and a 5 mm internal diameter and cured for 20 seconds. For e