A twisted-fin array as an innovative structure for intensifying the charging response of a phase-change material (PCM) within a shell-and-tube storage system is introduced in this work. A three-dimensional model describing the thermal management with charging phase change process in PCM was developed and numerically analyzed by the enthalpy-porosity method using commercial CFD software. Efficacy of the proposed structure of fins for performing better heat communication between the active heating surface and the adjacent layers of PCM was verified via comparing with conventional longitudinal fins within the same design limitations of fin material and volume usage. Optimization of the fin geometric parameters including the pitch, numb

  Routine vaccination activities, such as detection, reporting, and management of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs), are generally handled by healthcare providers (HCPs). Safe vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) were introduced to control the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practice of HCPs in Iraq about reporting adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, and their association with sociodemographic variables. The study was a cross-sectional study that was carried out between August and September 2021 at the COVID-19 vaccination centers in Iraq. This study used an online and paper-based questionnaire, which

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of airways mediated by T-helper 2 (Th2) cells involving complex signaling pathways. Although resveratrol has previously been shown to attenuate allergic asthma, the role of miRNA in this process has not been studied. We investigated the effect of resveratrol on ovalbumin-induced experimental allergic asthma in mice. To that end, BALB/c mice were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) intraperitoneally followed by oral gavage of vehicle (OVA-veh) or resveratrol (100 mg/kg body) (OVA-res). On day 7, the experimental groups received intranasal challenge of OVA followed by 7 days of additional oral gavage of vehicle or resveratrol. At day 15, all mice were euthanized and bronchioalveolar fluid (BALF), se

This study is designed to detect the level of cytokine IFN-γ concentration, and some antioxidants, including super oxide dismutase (SOD) and Vitamin C, and to estimate the level of sex hormones (FSH and LH), and to determine auto-antibodies (antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) IgG\IgM, and anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) IgG\IgM) and to estimate the blood parameters in 51 miscarriage women infected with T.gondii distributed depending on the type of antibodies. Additionally, 39 volunteers non-infected with T.gondii included (19 miscarriage women, 10 pregnant women and 10 non-pregnant women). ELISA and spectrophotometer method were used in this study. The results of IFN-γ showed a significant increase)p<0.05) in the l

This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study evaluated the knowledge, attitude and practice towards breast cancer and breast self-examination [‎BSE]‎ among 387 [‎302 females and 85 males]‎ educated Iraqis affiliated to 2 Iraqi universities. The participants were categorized into 3 occupations: student [‎71.3%]‎, teaching staff [‎10.3%]‎ and administrative staff [‎18.3%]‎. About half of the participants had a low knowledge score [‎< 50%]‎; only 14.3% were graded as [‎Good]‎ and above. Almost 75% of the participants believed that the best way to control breast cancer was through early detection and other possible preventive measures. Most participants [‎90.9%]‎ had heard of BSE, the main source of informatio

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. This work was conducted to estimate the roles of oxidative stress, vitamin B12, homocysteine (HCY), and DNA methylation in BC disease progression. Sixty BC patients (age range 33–80 years) and 30 healthy controls were recruited for this study. Patients with BC were split to group 1 consisted of stage II BC women (low level), and group 2 consisted of patients in stages III and IV (high level). Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3), HCY, and vitamin B12 levels in the study groups were measured. Also, the 5-methylcytosine (5mC) global DNA methylation levels were evaluated. The results showed a significant

A single step extraction-cleanup procedure using porous membrane-protected micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) in conjunction with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the extraction and determination of aflatoxins (AFs) B1, B2, G1 and G2 from food was successfully developed. After the extraction, AFs were desorbed from the μ-SPE device by ultrasonication using acetonitrile. The optimum extraction conditions were: sorbent material, C8; sorbent mass, 20 mg; extraction time, 90 min; stirring speed, 1000 rpm; sample volume, 10 mL; desorption solvent, acetonitrile; solvent volume, 350 μL and ultrasonication period, 25 min without salt addition. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factor of 11, 9, 9 and 10 for AFG2, AFG1

The selection of proper field survey parameters of electrical resistivity can significantly provide efficient results within a reasonable time and cost. Four electrode arrays of 2D Electric Resistivity Imaging (ERI) surveys were applied to characterize and detect subsurface archaeological bodies and to determine the appropriate array type that should be applied in the field survey. This research is to identify the subsurface features of the Borsippa archaeological site, Babylon Governorate, Middle Iraq. Synthetic modeling studies were conducted to determine the proper array and parameters for imaging the shallow subsurface features or targets. The efficiency of many array types has been tested for the detection the buried archaeolog