Fine aggregates used for concrete works in Sulaymaniyah city frequently fail to meet the standard requirements for gradation and fineness modulus in cement concrete. This paper aims to critically evaluate gradation, fineness modulus, and clay contents of various natural sands produced and used for concrete work in the region.  Sixteen field sand samples were collected from various sites in Darbandikhan (5 samples), Qalat Dizah (5 samples), Koysinjaq (5 samples), and Piramagroon (1 sample) confirming to ASTM D75. The field samples were parted into test specimens based on ASTM C702. Then, sieve analysis was carried out on the oven-dry test specimens in compliance with ASTM C136. The test results of fine aggregates wer

In this research work, a simulator with time-domain visualizers and configurable parameters using a continuous time simulation approach with Matlab R2019a is presented for modeling and investigating the performance of optical fiber and free-space quantum channels as a part of a generic quantum key distribution system simulator. The modeled optical fiber quantum channel is characterized with a maximum allowable distance of 150 km with 0.2 dB/km at =1550nm. While, at =900nm and =830nm the attenuation values are 2 dB/km and 3 dB/km respectively. The modeled free space quantum channel is characterized at 0.1 dB/km at =860 nm with maximum allowable distance of 150 km also. The simulator was investigated in terms of the execution of the BB84 p

<p>The demand for internet applications has increased rapidly.  Providing quality of service (QoS) requirements for varied internet application is a challenging task. One important factor that is significantly affected on the QoS service is the transport layer. The transport layer provides end-to-end data transmission across a network. Currently, the most common transport protocols used by internet application are TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol). Also, there are recent transport protocols such as DCCP (data congestion control protocol), SCTP (stream congestion transmission protocol), and TFRC (TCP-friendly rate control), which are in the standardization process of Internet Engineering Task

This research aimed to predict the permanent deformation (rutting) in conventional and rubberized asphalt mixes under repeated load conditions using the Finite Element Method (FEM). A three-dimensional (3D) model was developed to simulate the Wheel Track Testing (WTT) loading. The study was conducted using the Abaqus/Standard finite element software. The pavement slab was simulated using a nonlinear creep (time-hardening) model at 40°C. The responses of the viscoplastic model under the influence of the trapezoidal amplitude of moving wheel loadings were determined for different speeds and numbers of cycles. The results indicated that a wheel speed increase from 0.5Km/h to 1.0Km/h decreased the rut depth by about 22% and 24% in conv

In this research work, a simulator with time-domain visualizers and configurable parameters using a continuous time simulation approach with Matlab R2019a is presented for modeling and investigating the performance of optical fiber and free-space quantum channels as a part of a generic quantum key distribution system simulator. The modeled optical fiber quantum channel is characterized with a maximum allowable distance of 150 km with 0.2 dB/km at =1550nm. While, at =900nm and =830nm the attenuation values are 2 dB/km and 3 dB/km respectively. The modeled free space quantum channel is characterized at 0.1 dB/km at =860 nm with maximum allowable distance of 150 km also. The simulator was investigated in terms of the execution of the BB84 prot

Background: low back pain is one of the most common public health problems and of the most common musculoskeletal complaint. Many risk factors have been considered for developing low back pain include smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.

Aim of study: To evaluate smoking, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle associations with low back pain in young adults aged (18 – 39 years).

Methods: a comparative cross sectional study for young adults aged 18 – 39 years, participants with low back pain as a symptom constitutes the first group, others free of this symptom considered as the control group. Age and gender matched in both groups. Smoking, obesity and sedentary life sty

Groundwater quality deterioration due to anthropogenic natural activities and its immense utilization in various sectors is considered a great concern. The aim of this study is to determine the groundwater quality parameters at various sources in and around Dhaka city and compare them with Bangladesh drinking water standards. In this study, six groundwater quality parameters (pH, DO, COD, TS, TDS, and arsenic) and ten groundwater samples are analyzed to determine the water quality. The collected samples have maximum and minimum pH values of 6.9 and 6.4, respectively. Maximum and minimum DO values are 0.3 and 0.1 mg/L, respectively. The arsenic concentration is 0 mg/L for all collected groundwater samples. The maximum and minimum COD

Two groups of chronic hepatitis B and C virus patients were divided into Pre-treated patients (25 CHB patients with positive HBs Ag for more than 6 months and 40 CHC patients), and post-treated patients [12 CHB patients (4, 6, and 2 were treated with lamivudine, IFN-? and combination of LMV + IFN-? respectively), and 27 patients for CHC (3, 13 and 11 patients were treated with Ribavirin, IFN-? and combination therapy (RBV+ IFN-?) respectively].These patients were followed up for 6 months. By using ELISA technique, levels of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-? and TNF-? were measured in vivo and in vitro (supernatant of PBMCs stimulated with PHA) and compared with healthy control. The mean level of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-? in CHB patients showed significant dif

The competition in the hotel sector, globalization and the development of new information have forced the sector to continuously seek new techniques and arrangements to remain competitive through hotel industry companies, including Benchmarking and the application of this method in the hotel sector. The selection of the Rashid International Hotel by the Ministry of Tourism as a leading hotel or benchmark for comparison of other hotels in Iraq, and the selection of two hotels in Baghdad for comparison, namely (Ishtar International Hotel, Baghdad International Hotel) and the choice also by the Ministry of Tourism, N is to correct the course of practice to manage the cost and diagnosis of the weakness of the strengths and weaknesses in the

Background: Malaria remains a leading cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (including Sudan). C-reactive protein (CRP) is useful as   a marker of severity in malaria. African studies have shown that serum CRP levels correlate with parasite burden and complications in malaria, especially falciparum. However, there are no data on CRP levels in Sudanese malaria patients.

This study aims to evaluate the association between CRP levels with comorbidities, species, and complications of severe malaria

Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 65 severe malaria patients at Khartoum state hospitals during the period from April to June2021. Manifestations of severe