An accurate assessment of the pipes’ conditions is required for effective management of the trunk sewers. In this paper the semi-Markov model was developed and tested using the sewer dataset from the Zublin trunk sewer in Baghdad, Iraq, in order to evaluate the future performance of the sewer. For the development of this model the cumulative waiting time distribution of sewers was used in each condition that was derived directly from the sewer condition class and age data. Results showed that the semi-Markov model was inconsistent with the data by adopting ( 2 test) and also, showed that the error in prediction is due to lack of data on the sewer waiting times at each condition state which can be solved by using successive condition inspection data for measuring the waiting times of the pipes at each condition class.
The flexible joint robot (FJR) typically experiences parametric variations, nonlinearities, underactuation, noise propagation, and external disturbances which seriously degrade the FJR tracking. This article proposes an adaptive integral sliding mode controller (AISMC) based on a singular perturbation method and two state observers for the FJR to achieve high performance. First, the underactuated FJR is modeled into two simple second-order fast and slow subsystems by using Olfati transformation and singular perturbation method, which handles underactuation while reducing noise amplification. Then, the AISMC is proposed to effectively accomplish the desired tracking performance, in which the integral sliding surface is designed to reduce cha
... Show MoreComputer-aided diagnosis (CAD) has proved to be an effective and accurate method for diagnostic prediction over the years. This article focuses on the development of an automated CAD system with the intent to perform diagnosis as accurately as possible. Deep learning methods have been able to produce impressive results on medical image datasets. This study employs deep learning methods in conjunction with meta-heuristic algorithms and supervised machine-learning algorithms to perform an accurate diagnosis. Pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) or auto-encoder are used for feature extraction, whereas feature selection is performed using an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. Ant colony optimization helps to search for the bes
... Show MoreAll the available reports on the issue of infertility confirmed the increase in this population problem worldwide. Although the accurate estimate of the number of infertile people is due to several reasons, including the discrepancy in the true definition of infertility (whether it extends for one, two or five years of failed pregnancy attempts), as well as the great discrepancy in the size of the selected population groups (large population sample size versus epidemiological studies) and defining the category that diagnosed included (individuals, women, or couples). The goal of today’s IVF program is to obtain high-quality embryos with high efficiency in development, which leads to an increase in live birth rates.
Background: Lymphomas are group of diseases caused by malignant lymphocytes that accumulate in lymph nodes and caused the characteristics lymphadenopathy. Occasionally, they may spill over into blood or infiltrate organs outside the lymphoid tissue. The major subdivision of lymphomas is into Hodgkin lymphoma and non–Hodgkin lymphoma and this is based on the histologic presence of Reed-Sternberg cells in Hodgkin lymphoma. Salivary immunoglobulin A is the prominent immunoglobulin and is considered to be the main specific defense mechanism in oral cavity. The aim of this study was to determine the level of salivary immunoglobulin A in lymphoma patients before and after chemotherapy treatment. Subjects, materials and methods: The study i
... Show MoreThe qualified subjects for this study included 33 patients with benign and malignant oral tumors aged 15-75 years and 31 matched age and gender healthy subjects used as control. Proteins measurements included total protein, albumin, globulines in sera and saliva samples, and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA) in sera samples of control and patients. Meanwhile, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to differentiate between protein patterns in both serum and saliva samples among the studied groups. The gel was also stained for glycoprotein to evaluate as well the changes in glycoprotein contents. For total protein, the results revealed a signifigant increase (P?0.01) in both samples (serum and saliva) of patient group. Albumin conce
... Show MoreOne of the major problems facing the road construction engineer is the collapsible granular soil which may be used for embankment construction. Problems appears when such compacted soil come in touch with water, it exhibits cracking and uncontrolled settlement. Collapsible soils are defined as any unsaturated soil that goes through a radical rearrangement of practice and great loss of volume upon wetting, with or without additional loading. An attempt has been made in this investigation to stabilize the collapsible soil of Nasiriya with asphalt emulsion. Specimens of pure and asphalt emulsion stabilized soil have been prepared using optimum fluid content and tested. The first group of specimens of (60x60x20) cm have been tested for direct s
... Show MoreThis study is conducted in order to, investigate the trophic state of Duhok Lake Dam located within Duhok city, Iraq. Water samples are collected seasonally from three monitored sites during 2011. The parameters used for assessing water quality and trophic status level include: water temperature, pH, EC, TDS, DO, BOD5, nutrients, Secchi disk transparency, and chlorophyll a. The results reveal that DO is above 5 mg.l-1 in all sites, BOD5 value is within permissible level for domestic uses. Water quality considered as a hard type. High sulfate concentration is recorded during the study period. Trophic state shows that water type is classified as mesotrophic during autumn season, while it is regarded as eutrophic in other seasons. TDN/TDP rati
... Show MoreAssessing the accuracy of classification algorithms is paramount as it provides insights into reliability and effectiveness in solving real-world problems. Accuracy examination is essential in any remote sensing-based classification practice, given that classification maps consistently include misclassified pixels and classification misconceptions. In this study, two imaginary satellites for Duhok province, Iraq, were captured at regular intervals, and the photos were analyzed using spatial analysis tools to provide supervised classifications. Some processes were conducted to enhance the categorization, like smoothing. The classification results indicate that Duhok province is divided into four classes: vegetation cover, buildings,
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