Diesel engine oil was subjected to thermal oxidization (TO) for six periods of time (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h) and was subsequently characterized by terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The THz refractive index generally increased with oxidation time. The measurement method illustrated the potential of THz-TDS when a fixed setup with a single cuvette is used. A future miniaturized setup installed in an engine would be an example of a fixed setup. For the refractive index, there were highly significant differences among the oxidation times across most of the 0.3–1.7 THz range.

This paper proposes a novel finite-time generalized proportional integral observer (FTGPIO) based a sliding mode control (SMC) scheme for the tracking control problem of high order uncertain systems subject to fast time-varying disturbances. For this purpose, the construction of the controller consists of two consecutive steps. First, the novel FTGPIO is designed to observe unmeasurable plant dynamics states and disturbance with its higher time derivatives in finite time rather than infinite time as in the standard GPIO. In the FTGPO estimator, the finite time convergence rate of estimations is well achieved, whereas the convergence rate of estimations by classical GPIO is asymptotic and slow. Secondly, on the basis of the finite and fast e

There is no doubt that Jane Austen is one of the most studied authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her female characters have been extensively studied and they seem to have aroused much interest as manifestations of the conduct of their time. Her heroines have realized that there were many mistakes in the rules of conduct that controlled and restricted their behaviors. Thus, they have found no fault in correcting these mistakes, by behaving naturally without acting. Elizabeth Bennet the heroine of Pride and Prejudice and Marianne Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility are the chosen examples of that kind of women.

Background: This study aims to determine whether cigarette smoking and anxiety degrees are related among nurses. Methods: A correlation design study was conducted at Baquba Teaching Hospital in Diyala Governorate, and the study period extended from September 10th, 2023, to January 28th, 2024. A nonprobability purposive sample was used to include 200 nurses working at Baquba Teaching Hospital, Iraq. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from January 10th to February 7th, 2024. There were two components to the study instruments. Initially, the demographic sheet contained the individuals' sociodemographic data. The Taylor manifest anxiety scale is included in the second section. The collected data were analyzed us

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell nephropathy, a heterogeneous group of renal abnormalities resulting from complex interactions of sickle cell disease (SCD)-related factors and non-SCD phenotype characteristics, is associated with an increased risk for morbidity and mortality. AIMS: The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of microalbuminuria (MA) among pediatric patients with SCD and to determine risk factors for MA among those patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A case–control study was carried out on 120 patients with SCD, 2–18 years old, registered at Basrah Center for Hereditary Blood Diseases, and 132 age-and sex-matched healthy children were included as a control group. Investigations included complete blood panel, blood urea, se

Background: Recently epigenetic alterations have received increased attention because of theirimportant role in the process of tumerigenesis. It has been found that more than half of genetic changes were epigenetic. Epigenetic alterations are catalyzed by DNMTs enzymes. Increased knowledge about this molecular event may achieve progress in the war against cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the expression of DNMT3B among oral, laryngeal and skin SCC. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on (120) formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks, histopathologically diagnosed as oral, laryngeal and skin SCC). Immunohistochemical staining of DNMT3B antibody was performed on each case of this study. Results: The immunoh

Worldwide, shipping documents are still primarily created and handled in the traditional paper manner. Processes taking place in shipping ports as a result are time-consuming and heavily dependent on paper. Shipping documents are particularly susceptible to paperwork fraud because they involve numerous parties with competing interests. With the aid of smart contracts, a distributed, shared, and append-only ledger provided by blockchain technology allows for the addition of new records. In order to increase maritime transport and port efficiency and promote economic development, this paper examines current maritime sector developments in Iraq and offers a paradigm to secure the management system based on a hyper-ledger fabric blockchain p

Acne scars are one of the most common problems following acne vulgaris. Despite the extensive list of available treatment modalities, their effectiveness depends upon the nature of the scar. Ablative lasers had been used to treat acne scars; one of them is the fractional CO2 laser. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of fractional CO2 laser in the treatment of acne scars. Methods: Since January 2010 to June 2013, using 10600 nm fractional CO2 laser beams, the acne scar of 400 patients, 188 males and 212 females, mean age of 34 years, have been treated and classified according to severity into four grades following Goodman and Baron classification. Each patient underwent 3-5 sessions once monthly. The mean laser exposure time