This study offers additional evidence for the occurrence of oil residues within fractures of the basement rocks in the Upper Benue Trough, Nigeria. The data suggests that the observed oil residues were originally generated as light oils, which were later biodegraded into heavy oils. These Upper Benue Trough's oil stains are a valuable tool for hydrocarbon exploration in the region as they indicate the existence of a petroleum system in the basin. We find a strong similarity to the proportions of C27, C28, and C29 regular steranes of oils found in the sandstones and shales of the Bima Formation in the Upper Benue Trough when we plot the relative quantities of these steranes of the investigated basement rock oil types on a ternary gra

Background: It's believed that HBD-3 is involved in the tissue remodeling process of articular cartilage. Also, HBD-3 has anti-inflammatory properties. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assay human beta-defensine-3 (HBD-3) in serum from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and investigate its correlation with proinflammatory cytokines. Methods: In this case-control study, fifty-eight RA patients were aged 20–65 years, and 29 age-matched healthy subjects (HS) had no inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The disease activity score-28 joint erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was used to measure RA activity. CRP, ACPA, HBD-3, TNF-α, and IL-1β were assessed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA). Res

For more than a decade, externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites successfully utilized in retrofitting reinforced concrete structural elements. The function of CFRP reinforcement in increasing the ductility of reinforced concrete (RC) beam is essential in such members. Flexural and shear behaviors, ductility, and confinement were the main studied properties that used the CFRP as a strengthening material. However, limited attention has been paid to investigate the energy absorption of torsion strengthening of concrete members, especially two-span concrete beams. Hence, the target of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of CFRP-strengthening technique with regard to energy absorption of two-span RC

The Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) desalination technique offers a viable solution for providing freshwater to populations in water-scarce, remote areas. This study experimentally investigates a novel humidifying method by cross airflow over water-wetted pottery tubes, which function as a humidifier, incorporating a thermoelectric cooler to condense water vapor for freshwater production. To optimize freshwater production and thermal efficiency, meticulous design of these components and appropriate operational parameters are selected. Experiments were performed in three environments with differing temperatures and relative humidity levels, while air velocity varied from 1.02 to 1.89 m/s, and thermoelectric cooler voltage ranged from 6

يصف هذا البحث الإنتاج الصديق للبيئة لجسيمات النحاس النانوية باستخدام مستخلص نبات الجرجير والحرق عند درجة حرارة 400 درجة مئوية لمدة 3 ساعات. تم استخدام SEM و TEM لتحليل  حجم الجسيمات النانوية المحضرة. تم استخدام حيود الأشعة السينية  لتحديد الهيكل البلوري. كشف التحليل الطيفي للأشعة السينية المشتتة للطاقة لهيكل المنتج الذي تم إنشاؤه عن مكونات النحاس والأكسجين فقط ، مما يدل على نقاء المادة المحضرة. استخدمت الماد

The university course timetable problem (UCTP) is typically a combinatorial optimization problem. Manually achieving a useful timetable requires many days of effort, and the results are still unsatisfactory. unsatisfactory. Various states of art methods (heuristic, meta-heuristic) are used to satisfactorily solve UCTP. However, these approaches typically represent the instance-specific solutions. The hyper-heuristic framework adequately addresses this complex problem. This research proposed Particle Swarm Optimizer-based Hyper Heuristic (HH PSO) to solve UCTP efficiently. PSO is used as a higher-level method that selects low-level heuristics (LLH) sequence which further generates an optimal solution. The proposed a

Abstract: Many treatment modalities have been introduced for correction of deficient alveolar ridge width. Bone expansion through the ridge split procedure is one of them. This technique was initiated in order to overcome many problems that usually associated with grafting procedures. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of piezoelectric device in performing ridge split using single-stage approach and assessed the outcomes during a period of about 4 months after surgery. A total of 23 patients aged in range between 18 and 60 years underwent ridge split procedure with immediate insertion of dental implants. A panoramic radiograph was obtained before surgery. The gained bone was measured and surgical complications were recorded. Impl

A solar updraft tower power plant (solar tower) is a solar thermal power plant that utilizes a combination of solar

air collector and central updraft tube to generate an induced convective flow which drives pressure staged turbines to generate electricity.

 This paper presents practical results of a prototype of a solar chimney with thermal mass, where the glass surface is replaced by transparence plastic cover. The study focused on chimney's basements kind effect on collected air temperatures. Three basements were used: concrete, black concrete and black pebbles basements. The study was conducted in Baghdad from August to November 2009.

The results show that the best chimney efficiency attaine