Sphingolipids are key components of eukaryotic membranes, particularly the plasma membrane. The biosynthetic pathway for the formation of these lipid species is largely conserved. However, in contrast to mammals, which produce sphingomyelin, organisms such as the pathogenic fungi and protozoa synthesize inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) as the primary phosphosphingolipid. The key step involves the reaction of ceramide and phosphatidylinositol catalysed by IPC synthase, an essential enzyme with no mammalian equivalent encoded by the AUR1 gene in yeast and recently identified functional orthologues in the pathogenic kinetoplastid protozoa. As such this enzyme represents a promising target for novel anti-fungal and anti-protozoal drugs. Given

The harmonic oscillator (HO) and Gaussian (GS) wave functions within the binary cluster model (BCM) have been employ to investigate the ground state neutron, proton and matter densities as well as the elastic form factors of two- neutron 6He and 16C halo nuclei. The long tail is a property that is clearly revealed in the density of the neutrons since it is found in halo orbits. The existence of a long tail in the neutron density distributions of 6He and 16C indicating that these nuclei have a neutron halo structure. Moreover, the matter rms radii and the reaction cross section (𝜎𝑅 ) of these nuclei have been calculated using the Glauber model.

A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du

In this paper, the problem of resource allocation at Al-Raji Company for soft drinks and juices was studied. The company produces several types of tasks to produce juices and soft drinks, which need machines to accomplish these tasks, as it has 6 machines that want to allocate to 4 different tasks to accomplish these tasks. The machines assigned to each task are subject to failure, as these machines are repaired to participate again in the production process. From past records of the company, the probability of failure machines at each task was calculated depending on company data information. Also, the time required for each machine to complete each task was recorded. The aim of this paper is to determine the minimum expected ti

Cluster analysis (clustering) is mainly concerned with dividing a number of data elements into clusters. The paper applies this method to create a gathering of symmetrical government agencies with the aim to classify them and understand how far they are close to each other in terms of administrative and financial corruption by means of five variables representing the prevalent administrative and financial corruption in the state institutions. Cluster analysis has been applied to each of these variables to understand the extent to which these agencies are close to other in each of the cases related to the administrative and financial corruption.           

The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and aspiration and small business performance Baghdad, Iraq. This study proposed a quantitative analysis in which entrepreneurial mindset and aspiration is a critical success factor of small business in Iraq. The method employed in the collection of data was by the means of self-administered questionnaire which was filled and completed by small business owners randomly selected from a sampling frame of registered small businesses. The questionnaire was adapted from the study of Davis, Halls & Mayer (2015) and Abdel-Maksoud, Asada & Nakagawa (2008) which was used to measure entrepreneurial mindset and aspiration using a ten items scale and small business

The interaction in the city is reflected in the movement of people motivated by their activities and their economic and social goals, which include many variables subject to the planning process in the interpretation of this movement and the mapping of trends of transport intensity through the concept of transport function and its functional relationships with the uses of the earth in the sustainability and effectiveness of the movement of transport and Economic activity and population movement. Transport planners are concerned with the requirements of land use, which are linked to and included in the transport planning process as a factor for the future transport needs. There is a strong relationship between the transport system

This paper deals with a preliminary survey helminth parasites of the black partridge. Francolinus francolinus arabistanicus in Baghdad area, middle of Iraq. It was found that the bird was infected with the cestodes Cotugnia digonopora and Raillietina tetragona with infection rates of 61.9% and 4.8% respectively, and the nematodes Heterakis gallinarum and Paroneoccrca rouss-lotti with infection rates of 4.8% and 19% respectively. Some important measurements, distribution and occurrence according host-sex of each parasite were provided along with some remarks on parasites biology.