Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most frequent endocrine illnesses affecting reproductive - age women. L-carnitine has important roles in oxidative stress, energy production and glucose metabolism. It affects insulin resistance as decreased plasma carnitine level has been well reported in type II diabetes mellitus. Hence, it means L-carnitine may reduce insulin resistance which is found in PCO disease. Objective: This study aims to measure the level of L-carnitine and insulin resistance in both obese and non- obese patients with PCOS. Patients and Methods: Sixty women within the reproductive age with PCOS (30 obese and 30 non- obese) were recruited from the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic in Baghdad T

This research is carried out to investigate the behavior of self-compacting concrete (SCC) two-way slabs with central square opening under uniformly distributed loads. The experimental part of this research is based on casting and testing six SCC simply supported square slabs having the same dimentions and reinforcement. One of these slabs was cast without opening as a control slab. While, the other five slabs having opening ratios (O_R) of 2.78%, 6.25%, 11.11%, 17.36% and 25.00%. From the experimental results it is found that the maximum percentage decrease in cracking and ultimate uniform loads were 31.82% and 12.17% compared to control slab for opening ratios (O_R

Reliability analysis methods are used to evaluate the safety of reinforced concrete structures by evaluating the limit state function 𝑔(𝑋𝑖). For implicit limit state function and nonlinear analysis , an advanced reliability analysis methods are needed. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) can be used in this case however, as the number of input variables increases, the time required for MCS also increases, making it a time consuming method especially for complex problems with implicit performance functions. In such cases, MCS-based FORM (First Order Reliability Method) and Artificial Neural Network-based FORM (ANN FORM) have been proposed as alternatives. However, it is important to note that both MCS-FORM and ANN-FORM can also be time-con

Salmonella is approved as a common foodborne pathogen, causing major health problems throughout the world particularly in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Low-level fluoroquinolone resistance is conferred by both chromosomal and plasmid-encoded resistance, this research was carried out look into the occurrence rate of qnrA,qnrB and qnrS genes  in  Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi Cipr  ofloxacin-resistant insulate from blood samples of patients with typhoid fever. Fifteen Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi isolated previously from patients with typhoid fever were included in this study. All bacterial isolates were confirmed to have ciprofloxacin

Type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) is a metabolic disease that is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis by 2-4 folds than in non- diabetics. In general population, low IGF-1 has been associated with higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and mortality .This study aims to find out the relationship between IGF-1 level and other biochemical markers such as Homeostasis Model Assessment insulin resistance(HOMAIR) and Body Mass Index(BMI) in type 2 diabetic patients . This study includes (82) patients (40 females and 42 males) with age range (40-75) years,(34) non obese diabetic patients and (48) obese diabetic patients. The non obese individuals considered

Flexure members such as reinforced concrete (RC) simply supported beams subjected to two-point loading were analyzed numerically. The Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed for the treatment the non-smooth h behaviour such as discontinuities and singularities. This method is a powerful technique used for the analysis of the fracture process and crack propagation in concrete. Concrete is a heterogeneous material that consists of coarse aggregate, cement mortar and air voids distributed in the cement paste. Numerical modeling of concrete comprises a two-scale model, using mesoscale and macroscale numerical models. The effectiveness and validity of the Meso-Scale Approach (MSA) in modeling of the reinforced concrete beams w

Concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns are being popular in civil engineering due to their superior structural characteristics. This paper investigates enhancement in axial behavior of CFST columns by adding steel fibers to plain concrete that infill steel tubes. Four specimens were prepared: two square columns (100*100 mm) and two circular columns (100 mm in diameter). All columns were 60 cm in length. Plain concrete mix and concrete reinforced with steel fibers were used to infill steel tube columns. Ultimate axial load capacity, ductility and failure mode are discussed in this study. The results showed that the ultimate axial load capacity of CFST columns reinforced with steel fibers increased by 28% and 20 % for circular and square c

This research is carried out to investigate the externally post-tensioning technique for strengthening RC beams. In this research, four T-section  RC beams having the same dimensions and material properties were casted and tested up to failure by applying two mid-third concentrated loads. Three of these beams are strengthened by using external tendons, while the remaining beam is kept without strengthening as a control beam. Two external strands of 12 mm diameter were fixed at each side of the web of the strengthened beams and located at depth of 200 mm from top fiber of the section (d_ps). So that the depth of strands to overall depth of the section ratio (d_ps

This study reveals the results of a numerical simulation performed using the ABAQUS/CAE finite element program. The study aimed to provide a simulation model that can forecast the shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams confined with reinforcing meshes. Limited numerical studies have been conducted using geogrid or FRP mesh as shear reinforcement, with limited representation accuracy and limited material quality. The results were compared to published experimental findings in the literature. The finding of the finite element model and the experimental results were highly comparable; consequently, the model was determined to be valid. Following this, the domain of numerical analyses was broadened to include the investigation of m