This paper presents a brief study undertaken for improving the performance of information and communication management of construction projects through investing in information and communication technologies (ICT). The work aims at first to investigate and diagnose the problems, challenges, weaknesses, and inefficiencies related to information and communication management in projects in the construction industry of Iraq. Studying the diagnosed matters and the different solutions of ICT to improve project management performance is following the investigation process. The research presents a technological system suggested to process a lot of the diagnosed problems, challenges, weakness, and inefficiencies of the construction projects and t

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computerized database management system for accumulating, storage, retrieval, analysis, and display spatial data. In general, GIS contains two broad categories of information, geo-referenced spatial data and attribute data. Geo-referenced spatial data define objects that have an orientation and relationship in two or three-dimensional space, while attribute data is qualitative data that can be counted for recording and analysis. The main aim of this research is to reveal the role of GIS technology in the enhancement of bridge maintenance management system components such as the output results, and make it more interpretable through dynamic colour coding and more sophisticated visualization

In this article, the casting method was used to prepare poly(methyl methacrylate)/hydroxyapatite (PMMA/HA) nanocomposite films incorporated with different contents (0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt%) of graphene nanoplatelets (Gnp). The chemical properties and surface morphology of the PMMA/HA blend and PMMA/HA/Gnp nanocomposite were characterized using FTIR, and SEM analysis. Besides, the thermal conductivity, dielectric and electrical properties at (1–107 Hz) of the PMMA/HA blend and PMMA/HA/Gnp composites were investigated. The structural analysis showed that the synthesized composites had a low agglomerated state, with multiple wrinkles of graphene flakes in the PMMA/HA blend. The thermal conductivity was improved by more than 35-fold its value for

Entrepreneurial events are understood to be imperious in accelerating the economic development of nations owing to a large number of jobs it creates. Thus, both developed and developing countries understand the importance of entrepreneurship education to instil student interest in entrepreneurial action. This study investigates the moderating effect of entrepreneurship education (EEP) on the relationship between attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SNMS), and perceived behavioural control (PBC) towards entrepreneurship intention (EINT) of university undergraduate students. The study population covered 794 students from all the four faculties of Northwest University Kano, that were taught a compulsory entrepreneurship education course in their

The effective insulation design of the stress grading (SG) system in form-wound stator coils is essential for preventing partial discharges and excessive heat generation under pulse-width modulation excitation. This paper proposes a method to find the optimal insulation design of the SG system aimed at reducing the dielectric and thermal stresses in the machine coil. The non-uniform transmission line model is used to predict the voltage propagation along the overhang, SG, and slot regions considering the variation in the physical properties of the insulation layers. The machine coil parameters for different insulation materials are calculated by using the finite element method. Two optimization algorithms, fmincon and particle swarm optimiz

Castellated columns are structural members that are created by breaking a rolled column along the center-line by flame after that rejoining the equivalent halves by welding such that for better structural strength against axial loading, the total column depth is increased by around 50 percent. The implementation of these institutional members will also contribute to significant economies of material value. The main objectives of this study are to study the enhancement of the load-carrying capacity of castellated columns with encasement of the columns by Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) and lacing reinforcement, and serviceability of the confined castellated columns. The Castellated columns with RPC and Lacing Reinforcement improve com

     The dynamical behavior of an ecological system of  two predators-one prey updated with incorporating prey refuge and Beddington –De Angelis functional response had been studied in this work, The essential mathematical features of the present model have been studied  thoroughly. The system has local and global stability when certain conditions are met.  had been  proved respectively.  Further, the system has no saddle node bifurcation but transcritical bifurcation and Pitchfork bifurcation are satisfied while the Hopf bifurcation does not occur. Numerical illustrations are performed  to validate the model's applicability under consideration. Finally, the results are included in the form of points in agreement with the obt

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive-MIMO) is considered as the key technology to meet the huge demands of data rates in the future wireless communications networks. However, for massive-MIMO systems to realize their maximum potential gain, sufficiently accurate downlink (DL) channel state information (CSI) with low overhead to meet the short coherence time (CT) is required. Therefore, this article aims to overcome the technical challenge of DL CSI estimation in a frequency-division-duplex (FDD) massive-MIMO with short CT considering five different physical correlation models. To this end, the statistical structure of the massive-MIMO channel, which is captured by the physical correlation is exploited to find sufficiently

This study did the isolation, purification, and identification of the fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi of some infected plants, including Chili pepper, cucumber, and eggplant. The green parts of Pimpinella anisum plant were grounded to a semi-powdered state. Phenols, alkaloids and terpenes were extracted from this plant, then the anti-fungal activity was evaluated at different concentrations of 5% and 10%. The percentage of radial growth inhibition of fungi with plant extracts was measured after seven days of incubation. The results showed that the terpene extract was the most effective against fungi and the alkaloid extract had the least antifungal activity. the percentage of radial growth inhibition was

The current research aims to determine the relationship of the impact of the components of the financing structure, especially financing through debts, as well as the earnings per share in the value of the shares of companies listed in the Iraq Stock Exchange. The research sample and identifying the strength of the combined effect of the ratio of financing through debt and earnings per share in maximizing The market value of the firm and the real value, as well as the variation between these relationships according to model of the real value of the companies and the market value of the research sample companies. The research community is represented by the Iraq Stock Exchange, while a conditional deliberate sample