Lecture method is still need to a part of PBL in order to explain the difficult and abstract concepts in all fields of physics particularly thermodynamics. Introducing and promoting PBL in the lecture method is wise step for innovation in teaching and learning. The objective of this study is to compare the effects of using three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on undergraduate physics students’ understanding of thermodynamics. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq in the academic year 2011-2012. In this study, the pre- and post-test were done and the instruments were administered to the

 This research was to determine the effect of rare earth metal (REM) on the as-cast microstructure of Mg-4Al alloy. The rare earth metal used here is Lanthanum to produce Mg-4Al-1.5La alloy. The microstructure was characterized by optical microscopy. The phases of this alloy were identified by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of Mg-4Al consists of α-Mg and grain boundaries with precipitated phase particles. With the addition of Lanthanum, three distinct phases were identified in the X-ray diffraction patterns of the as cast Mg-4Al-1.5La:  Mg, Al₁₁La₃, Al₄La. The Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase was not detected. The addition of Lanthanium increases the hardness and dec

In this experimental study, the use of stone powder as a stabilizer to the clayey soil studied. Tests of Atterberg limits, compaction, fall cone (FCT), Laboratory vane shear (LVT), and expansion index (EI) were carried out on soil-stone powder mixtures with fixed ratios of stone powder (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) by the dry weight. Results indicated that the undrained shear strength obtained from FCT and LVT increased at all the admixture ratios, and the expansion index reduced with the increase of the stone powder.

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is a concrete of no slump, no reinforcement, no finishing, and compacted using vibratory roller. When compared with conventional concrete, it contains less water content
when compared to traditional concrete. The RCC technique achieves significant time and cost savings during the construction of concrete. This study demonstrates the preparation of RCC slab of (38 ×38× 10) cm
samples by using roller compactor which is manufactured in local markets. The Hydrated lime additive is used to study the mechanical and physical properties of that RCC slab samples. This investigation is divided
into two main stages: The First stage consists of hammer compaction method with two gradation of aggregate, dense

This research includes a study of dezincification by corrosion from brass alloys in three types of media, which are acidic solution, basic and slat solution in different percentages. The study show the higher dezincification occurs in basic solution which decrease the fatigue properties where the fatigue properties are inversely proportional with dezincification.

In this study, the effect of the annealing temperature on the material properties and the structural properties of cuprous oxide was studied in order to investigate how the annealing temperature affects the material properties, and the temperature varied between 200℃, 300℃, 400℃ and 500 ℃ and was unannealed. The physical properties of the cuprous oxide were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD patterns showed that the Cu₂O nanoparticles were highly pure, crystalline, and nano-sized. From the XRD results, we found the pure cuprite (Cu₂O) phase. The values of crystal size were discovered and calculated by the Halder-Wagner and Size-Strain Plot (SSP) methods, respectively. The crystallite size increased

Fumonisin B1 is a toxic compound produced by Fusarium verticillioides. Liver and kidney are the major organs considered target to FB1 toxicity that is characterized by apoptotic, necrosis, and regeneration. Thirteen local isolates of F. verticillioides isolated form maize samples that collected from local markets and silos in Baghdad. Morphological identification are occurred and confirmed by PCR and their ability to produce FB1 was detected using ELISA techniques, Thirty six male albino mice were divided into six groups. Each group orally gavaged with different concentration of FB1. After 24hours, all treated mice were examined to determine the concentration which killed half of animals and was considered as LD50, the remaining groups w

High temperature superconductors with a nominal composition HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ
for different values of pressure (0.2,0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.9, 1.0 & 1.1)GPa were prepared by
a solid state reaction method. It has been found that the samples were semiconductor
P=0.2GPa.while the behavior of the other samples are superconductor in the rang
(80-300) K. Also the transition temperature Tc=143K is the maximum at P is equal to
0.5GPa. X-ray diffraction showed a tetragonal structure with the decreasing of the
lattice constant c with the increasing of the pressure. Also we found an increasing of
the density with the pressure.

In this research, the effect of electrode material on the parameters of the produced DBD plasma was investigated. First, a non-thermal plasma was created by applying a 15 kV AC voltage between two electrodes and using a glass plate as a dielectric barrier in the design Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma system. The obtained plasma spectrum was analyzed using optical emission spectroscopy to calculate plasma parameters by the Boltzmann plot method. Electrodes made of copper, aluminium, and stainless steel were employed in this research. Electron temperature ( ) for copper, aluminium, and stainless steel was found to be (1.398 eV), (1.093 eV) and (1.009 eV), respectively.