Permanent deformation (rutting) of asphalt mixtures is one of the major forms of distress. Aggregate gradation is one of the most important factors affecting the permanent deformation of asphalt mixtures. Other variables are also important to understand their effects on the mixture such as temperature, binder content and compaction level. For this purpose 6 different aggregate gradations have been chosen and each one of them has been manufactured / tested with different variables. The results showed that at relatively low temperature there is little effect of aggregate packing on the permanent deformation. However, as the temperature increases the effect of gradation becomes apparent, in that the better the packing the better the resistance

Human health can be negatively impacted by exposure to loud noise, which can harm the auditory system. Traffic noise is the leading cause of noise pollution. This paper studies the problem of noise pollution on the roads in Baghdad, Iraq. Due to the increase in vehicle numbers and road network modifications in Baghdad, noise levels became a serious topic to be studied. The aim of the paper was thus to study traffic noise levels and the effect of the traffic stream on noise levels and to formulate a prediction model that identified the guidelines used for designing or developing future roads in the city. Then, the noise levels were measured based on five variables: the functional classification of roads, traffic flow, vehicle speed,

This paper investigates the issue of surface-type effects on traffic noise in Baghdad. Since the raw materials for both flexible and rigid paving are available from local sources, the decision on selecting the type of paving which depends on the budget of the project and the road's importance and function. Knowing that for high traffic volumes and a high percentage of heavy vehicles, rigid pavement is more suitable compared to flexible pavement. In Baghdad, some highways consist of flexible pavement and others of combined pavement (flexible segments and rigid segments), so the study of the effect of surface type on traffic noise becomes an important matter. This study selected three highways: one with flexible pavement a

Video steganography has become a popular option for protecting secret data from hacking attempts and common attacks on the internet. However, when the whole video frame(s) are used to embed secret data, this may lead to visual distortion. This work is an attempt to hide sensitive secret image inside the moving objects in a video based on separating the object from the background of the frame, selecting and arranging them according to object's size for embedding secret image. The XOR technique is used with reverse bits between the secret image bits and the detected moving object bits for embedding. The proposed method provides more security and imperceptibility as the moving objects are used for embedding, so it is difficult to notice the

The development of a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography fluorescence method for the determination of the mycotoxins fumonisin B1 and fumonisin B2 by using silica-based monolithic column is described. The samples were first extracted using acetonitrile:water (50:50, v/v) and purified by using a C18 solid phase extraction-based clean-up column. Then, pre-column derivatization for the analyte using ortho-phthaldialdehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol was carried out. The developed method involved optimization of mobile phase composition using methanol and phosphate buffer, injection volume, temperature and flow rate. The liquid chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed phase Chromolith® RP-18e column

Eleven species of parasitic insects were recovered from puparia of house fly Musca domestica L. developing in animal dung in Baghdad during 1985-1987. Of the parasites obtained, representatives were found in five families of Hymenoptera and one family of Coleoptera. The most prevalent parasites were Spalangia cameroni Perkins, S. nigroaenea Curtis and S. endius Walk. Average parasitism for the two year was 11.30 %, the highest number of parasitism occurred in May and October.

Pauses as pragmatic markers are considered important devices that help readers to gain a better and deeper understanding of certain texts as well as speech, promoting effectively language communication. They can help both the speaker and the hearer, due to the functions they have in a text. Their occurrence in speech has a value that they make it more understandable. In this regard, the present study aims to examine the forms and functions of pauses in literary texts, more specifically, in selected extracts from two dramas, namely, Pinter's The Homecoming and Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation and to compare how the two writers use pauses in these two dramas. To do so, the sequential production approach of turn-taking by Sacks, Sc

Many diseases can produce cardiac overload, of these disease hypertension, valve disease congenital anomaly in addition to many other disease. One of the most common diseases causing left ventricle overload is hypertension. A long term hypertension can cause myocardium hypertrophy leading to changes in the cardiac contractility and reduced efficiency. The investigations were carried out using conventional echocardiography techniques in addition to the tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) from which many noninvasive measurements can be readily obtained. The study has involved the effect of hypertension on the myocardium stiffness index through the measurement of early diastolic filling (E) and the early velocity of lateral mitral annulus (E_a