Two novel demountable shear connectors for precast steel-concrete composite bridges are presented. The connectors use high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the steel beam with the aid of a special locking configuration that prevents slip of bolts within their holes. Moreover, the connectors promote accelerated construction and overcome typical construction tolerances issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connectors allow bridge disassembly, and therefore, can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow, i.e. (1) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (2) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (3) steel beams can be replaced, while precast decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push-out tests and a beam test were conducted to assess the behavior of the connectors and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results showed that shear resistance and slip capacity can reach 2.5 and 2.7 times respectively of those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Additionally, shear stiffness of M16 mm LNSC was equal to that of M19 mm welded studs. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load – slip displacement behavior. Design equations are proposed to predict the shear resistance with minimum deviations.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent clinical condition, that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Objective: To assess the level of soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) as a biomarker in the diagnosis and immunopathogenesis of GERD patients. Methods: The case-control prospective study included 40 GERD patients who were consulted at the Gastroenterology Unit of AlKindy Teaching Hospital, as along with 40 healthy control subjects. The study period extended from January 2023 to May 2024. Blood was drawn from both groups and serum was separated to assesssHLA-E using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in sHLA-E levels between GERD patients and healthy cont
... Show MorePurpose: This research is to identify the most important challenges for the local investment commissions and to develop solutions and proposals to encourage local and foreign investment in local governments in Iraq (the Iraqi provinces are irregular in the region). Theoretical Framework: This research suggests a conceptual framework for the local investment commissions in order to solve their problems, the most important of which was to identify the most critical challenges which are facing the Baghdad Investment Commission BIC and how to overcome them. Design/The methodology approach: Research involved a mixed-methods approach through two stages. During the first stage, the researcher gathered quantitative data from all inves
... Show MoreThe aim of the current study was to develop a nanostructured double-layer for hydrophobic molecules delivery system. The developed double-layer consisted of polyethylene glycol-based polymeric (PEG) followed by gelatin sub coating of the core hydrophobic molecules containing sodium citrate. The polymeric composition ratio of PEG and the amount of the sub coating gelatin were optimized using the two-level fractional method. The nanoparticles were characterized using AFM and FT-IR techniques. The size of these nano capsules was in the range of 39-76 nm depending on drug loading concentration. The drug was effectively loaded into PEG-Gelatin nanoparticles (≈47%). The hydrophobic molecules-release characteristics in terms of controlled-releas
... Show MoreFusidic acid (FA) is a well-known pharmaceutical antibiotic used to treat dermal infections. This experiment aimed for developing a standardized HPLC protocol to determine the accurate concentration of fusidic acid in both non-ionic and cationic nano-emulsion based gels. For this purpose, a simple, precise, accurate approach was developed. A column with reversed-phase C18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm ID x 5 m) was utilized for the separation process. The main constituents of the HPLC mobile phase were composed of water: acetonitrile (1: 4); adjusted at pH 3.3. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/minute. The optimized wavelength was selected at 235 nm. This approach achieved strong linearity for alcoholic solutions of FA when loaded at a serial concentrati
... Show MoreThe tax policy is an important tool of fiscal policy tools which is usedasits multiple tools the State seeks to achieve objectives, such as theachievement of economic development.The importance of the research comes from the importance ofeconomic development resulting from economic policies and prudent fiscaland appropriate to the economic situation of Iraq at the moment is the mostimportant tax policy that taxes one of the most important financial instruments.The research aims to clarify the role of tax policy in developing of theIraqi economy.In an effort to achieve the goals researchers tried to prove thehypothesis ((The tax policy and through multiple tools that seeks to contributeto the achievement of economic development in Iraq)).
... Show MoreObjective(s): The study aims at examining the role of technical information used in nursing education, such as "the
Internet, e-mail services, video, audio conferencing and other "in the College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad.
Methodology: A descriptive and analytical study which was using the examination approach was conducted on a
non-probability sample (purposive sample) of (42) members of the faculty of the College of Nursing at the University
of Baghdad. A questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study. It was consisted of two parts; the first part
which included the demographic characteristics of faculty members (such as age, sex,
qualification, scientific title, and the scientific department
This study aims to evaluate the influence of the air abrasion of dentin on the shear bond strength of lithium disilicate using three different types of luting cements. Sixty cylindrical specimens were milled from lithium disilicate CAD/CAM blocks (IPSe.max CAD). Sixty sound human maxillary premolar teeth were decoronated to the level of peripheral dentin, then randomly divided into three groups according to the type of luting cement used for the cementation of the lithium disilicate specimens (n = 20); Group A: Glass ionomer cement (Riva Self- Cure); Group B: Adhesive resin cement (Rely X Ultimate); Group C: Self-adhesive resin cement (Rely X U200). Each group was then further subdivided into two subgroups (n=10); Subgroups AI, BI, and CI,
... Show MoreThis work has been done with using of epoxy resin mixed with Granite powder were weighted by percent volume (5,10,15, and 20)%and then mixed with epoxy polymer to compose polymer composite. Hand lay-up technique is used in fabrication of the composite samples. Hardness test was carried out for the proper samples in both normal condition and after immersion in HCL (1 M and 2 M) solutions for periods ranging up to 10 weeks. After comparing the results between the polymer and their composite, the hardness increased with increasing Granite weight percent, it was found that Hardness were greater for the composites before immersion compared with their values after immersion.