Journal of Engineering

Particle-reinforced composites have demonstrated unique or excellent properties, which
have made them suitable materials for application in many areas. In this study, 5-20 wt. %
of mild steel microparticles were used in the reinforcement of epoxy resin matrix to produce
polymer composites by stir casting technique. The microstructure of the composites was
examined by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, their physical
and mechanical properties were evaluated. The results revealed presence of pores in the
samples and dispersion of ductile mild steel phase in the epoxy matrix phase. The density of
the samples became higher as concentration of reinforcing mild steel particles increased,
and reinforced sample E demonstrated the greatest density of 4.3 g/cm3. The much
reinforced samples D and E, which contained 15 and 20 wt. % of mild steel particles,
respectively, demonstrated the least water absorption of 9.6 %. Reinforced sample E, which
contained the highest amount of mild steel particles (20 wt. %) exhibited the highest
ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value of 51.3 MPa, which is almost 85 % more than
unreinforced-control sample A. Furthermore, it possessed a hardness of 23.4 HV, which is
45 % more than the control sample. Sample E also exhibited an impact energy of 5.44 J,
indicating a 14.3 % improvement over the control sample.

This research dealt with the analysis of murder crime data in Iraq in its temporal and spatial
dimensions, then it focused on building a new model with an algorithm that combines the
characteristics associated with time and spatial series so that this model can predict more
accurately than other models by comparing them with this model, which we called the
Combined Regression model (CR), which consists of merging two models, the time series
regression model with the spatial regression model, and making them one model that can
analyze data in its temporal and spatial dimensions. Several models were used for
comparison with the integrated model, namely Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Decision
Tree Regression (DTR), Random Forest Regression (RFR) and Neural Network Regression
(NNR). The data used is about the monthly numbers of murder crimes for the police
directorates in Baghdad and the governorates during the period from January 2015 to June
2023. The data was analyzed and then divided into two sets, a training and testing set, to
perform these models in prediction. The accuracy of each modsl’s performance was
evaluated using two statistical measures: RMSE and ????2 in order to determine the best and
most accurate performing model among the selected models. An important result was
obtained in the comparison between these models, as the combined model obtained the
most accurate performance than the other models, based on the values of the performance
accuracy metrics for each model in relation to the data used in the murder crimes.

Although most sustainability criteria are effective, outdated infrastructure and a lack of
economic support pose a major challenge to their implementation in Iraqi schools. So,
integrating sustainability criteria into school building designs in Iraq is a key factor in
improving the infrastructure of educational facilities. This study aims to identify the most
important fundamental criteria for designing sustainable schools in Iraq by evaluating six
main criteria: energy, water, indoor environmental quality, waste management, materials
and resources, and finally, sustainable site. This research was prepared by conducting a
questionnaire that included many specialists in the field of school building construction in
Iraq. The comparison between the averages was used to compare the criteria. The
sustainable site criterion achieved the highest arithmetic mean of 4.28. In contrast, the
indoor environmental quality criterion showed an arithmetic mean of 4.17, which indicates
the importance of providing a healthy environment for school workers.. The waste
management criterion came with an arithmetic mean of 4.11, as effective waste management
practices are vital to reducing the environmental footprint of educational institutions. The
results showed that the material and resource efficiency standard recorded an arithmetic
mean of 4.062, which emphasizes the need for conscious use of materials and resources
throughout the life of the building. In contrast, the energy efficiency standard achieved an
arithmetic mean of 4.061, which indicates the importance of reducing the total energy
consumption in the school building. Finally, water conservation is an important standard, as
it recorded a rate of 4.01.

The spatial arrangement in the urban area in which cities exist is very important because it
directly influences how active or otherwise such an environment can be. This study explores
how Baghdad’s downtown area incorporates this spatial arrangement into land use patterns
to support vitality. Particularly attention is given to AlShorja and Bab AlSharqi (two districts
within Downtown Baghdad). The analysis of Space Syntax techniques and methods
combined with GIS demonstrates that AlShorja does not only enjoy connectivity but also
walking-oriented spaces while Bab AlSharqi has the opposite features with heavily
structured road networks dedicated to vehicles. The compact, irregular streets in AlShorja
support intense pedestrian movement and vibrant commercial activities, while the grid
pattern in Bab AlSharqi enhances vehicular accessibility and accommodates a range of land
uses, including commercial and administrative functions. The study concludes with
recommendations for urban planners to improve connectivity and vitality through informed
spatial planning, considering historical context integration with contemporary urban needs.
These insights aim to guide future urban development to create livable and sustainable
environments. Urban areas that are close to the downtown could be further studied using
different analysis tools such as GIS or UNA. This could be expanded through the investigation
of other forms of urban layers, such as economic and environmental aspects.

Over the past 10 years, there has been a surge in the study and implementation of smart
city (SC) technology. A detailed analysis of the literature evaluations that have already been
published on SCs reveals a deficiency of studies that categorize the literature into distinct
themes and determine the most and least popular topics based on the number of peer
reviewed research papers that fall under each theme. In an attempt to close this gap, a
descriptive literature evaluation of peer-reviewed papers on SCs has been carried out for
this work. Over the past 10 years, there has been a surge in the study and implementation of
smart city (SC) technology. Based on the number of peer-reviewed research articles that fall
under each subject, a detailed analysis of the literature evaluations that have already been
published on SCs reveals a lack of studies that classify the literature into different themes
and identify the most and least popular topics. The investigation shows that although various
frameworks provide insightful information, there is sometimes a lack of standardization,
which complicates comparisons. Furthermore, the majority of frameworks fall short in
addressing issues of social justice and public involvement in the assessment process. The
study emphasizes the requirement for a single framework that guarantees inclusivity and
integrates a variety of criteria.

This article proposes a current mode inverting and non-inverting Schmitt trigger circuit,
which utilizes a Current Follower Transconductance Amplifier (CFTA) and its application in
square and triangular wave generators. The hysteresis of a Schmitt trigger is directly
influenced by the process variations and transistor mismatches. This issue is more
challenging in applications where the level of noise and disturbances is not predictable. To
overcome this deficiency, Schmitt triggers with tunable hysteresis can be used as a practical
solution. The suggested circuit consists of a single CFTA analog building block laterally with
one grounded resistor. The grounded resistor makes the realization of the above-mentioned
circuit possible. The proposed circuit has low input impedance and high output impedance,
which is preferred in current mode (CM) circuits. It is characterized by adjustable thresholds
and low power consumption. It provides both inverting and non-inverting responses
without extra floating elements. Additionally, it has electronically adjustable threshold levels
and a wide bandwidth. All these specifications have been validated through PSPICE
simulations. The design focuses on reducing power consumption by incorporating active
elements and grounded resistors. It's Optimizing for low voltage operation, while effectively
managing current to ensure high performance without excessive energy use. It is an efficient
and low-power method for generating square and triangular waves. The PSPICE simulation
results are illustrated, and the given results coincide well with the theoretical expectation.
The total power consumption is 1.26mW at ±1.5V supply voltage

Audio and speech compression techniques are used to reduce the storage of these data in
the required space and the transmission rate of these data in the communication and
network systems. In this paper, the researchers exploit neural networks and artificial
intelligence to compress audio signals. The researchers investigated compression ratios of
8, 4, 2, and 1 (no compression), and then chose the highest ratio of 8. The compromising
choice is based on the best SNR of the recovered audio signal and the required time for
implementation. The researchers tested 119 different audio files from the standard BBC
audio library. The duration of these files is about 1000 seconds. The average SNR was 26.33
dB, and the mean square error was -52.58 dB. To reduce the running time, the epochs were
30, the hidden layers were 64 to 128, the quantization level was 1, the dimensions were 15
to 20, and each second of the input signal needed 100 seconds to be compressed. The input
audio signal files were single-channel mono audio, and the stereo multi-channel audio files
were reformatted to mono single-channel. According to the results, the proposal process
accomplished good audio compression, while the other parameters were acceptable.

Ict contributes to the establishment of deeper approaches to how to sustain major projects.
On this basis, this research presents the impact of ICT-specific factors on performance
indicators of major projects by utilizing a combination of surveys, expert opinions,
interviews, and exploratory research, with the help of previous studies in the field of
construction projects. The primary investigation assessed the impact of implementing risk
management techniques on performance indicators by utilizing a combination of surveys,
expert opinions, interviews, and exploratory research, drawing upon previous studies in the
field of construction projects. The initial findings were obtained by calculating the factors
effect. The identification of the relative importance index (RII) effect facilitated the
determination of the consequences. The results of the RII analysis indicate a high level of
resistance to change and a moderate level of effectiveness in scheduling and information and
communication technology based job planning, with scores of the long payback periods
factor and group decision making being made easier, respectively. Following the collection
of data, the MCDM approach was employed to analyze it. It was discovered that two risk
categories, inadequate rating systems and programs and financial management utilizing
information and communication technology, more accurately represent the risk factors. The
MCDM results yielded outcomes that were both more accurate and practical.

Real-world signals are often intricate and difficult to analyze. Therefore, to facilitate the
analysis of signal components, the researchers represent the signal in different domains
(transform domain), providing a new perspective and offering significant advantages in
understanding the various components of signals. Therefore, discrete transforms have been
the subject of extensive study. In this paper, a new hybrid form of orthogonal polynomial is
introduced named discrete Cosine-Krawtchouk–Tchebichef transform (DCKTKT). Which is
based on combining discrete Cosine transform with krawtchouk and tchebichef polynomials.
The mathematical and theoretical formulations of DCKTKT are presented, followed by an
evaluation of its performance against other hybrid forms. The results demonstrate that
DCKTKT along with their corresponding moments. Surpasses existing hybrid polynomials
regarding energy compaction. Additionally, a face recognition application is performed and
by using a well-known database with clean and noisy environments, DCKTKT is used to
transform face images into the moment domain to facilitate feature extraction. illustrating
the proposed polynomial's robustness against different types of noise and its superior
feature extraction capabilities compared to the latest hybrid forms.

Foam concrete, distinguished by its lightweight properties and versatility in construction,
is a porous material produced from cement, water, fine aggregate, and foam. It contains
numerous voids and lacks coarse aggregate, which accounts for its lightweight and low
density. It has been widely used in roofing, partition walls, and insulation applications. This
study explores an innovative approach to foam concrete production by investigating the
effect of using recycled foam concrete waste, processed into various sizes of lightweight
aggregate. The water-to-cement and cement-to-aggregate ratios were maintained at 0.45
and 1:1.3, respectively. The research involved replacing 50% of the aggregate volume with
recycled waste from foam concrete, using specified aggregate sizes of Gradation levels of
four aggregate sizes (12.5-9.50) mm, (9.50-4.75) mm (4.75-2.36) mm, and (2.36-1.18) mm.
Results showed that the optimal size for use was 9.50-4.75 mm, which enhanced
compressive strength, and tensile strength while increasing water absorption at 28 days by
percentages compared to traditional FC mix. The study aims to minimize the use of natural
aggregate resources and reduce construction waste. Through a comprehensive
experimental program including material characterization, and mechanical performance
testing, the findings are expected to provide valuable contributions to sustainable
construction practices.

Perpetual research endeavors have been created within the existing research to improve
the sustainability elements concerning the road structure sector, i.e., minimize possible
pollutants and improve monetary profitability. This study aims to determine how recycled
concrete aggregates (RCA), which come from tearing down buildings, affect rutting
performance using specimens prepared in a laboratory. Four replacement proportions (0,
25, 50, 75)% were studied for the coarse portion of natural aggregate. RCA was treated by
immersing it in hydrochloric acid (HCL). The surface morphology of treated RCA was
investigated using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test. This study employed two
preliminary assessments: the typical Marshall test to find the ideal asphalt content and
explore the volumetric properties of asphalt mixes. The other exam was the wheel-tracking
assessment. A four asphalt concrete slab sample was placed under repeated wheel loads of
700 N at 55°C to determine its resistance to cracking and rutting. An investigation revealed
that mixed with RCA content of 75%, rut depth is higher at 11.83%.

Population growth and urban development have posed challenges for wastewater
treatment plants (WWTPs) locations in large cities such as Baghdad since they fail to meet
sustainability criteria due to outdated planning and the lack of an approved strategy to
determine the appropriate location for a WWTP in it. This study aims to develop a decision
making strategy for sustainable sites for WWTPs by using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy
Process (FAHP) and applying the strategy to evaluate the locations of the major WWTPs in
Baghdad. Nine factors affecting decision-making regarding WWTP locations were
categorized into three groups based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability
requirements. A questionnaire method was used to collect data and calculate weights for
each factor from the opinions of 12 experts. Seven factors had weight values greater than
zero, while two had zero values and were excluded. A second questionnaire calculated the
distance distribution for each factor, with experts agreeing on the ratings. Three equations
for calculating main group weights and one for total weights have been developed using the
weighted factors. The equations were applied to evaluate the locations of Baghdad's major
WWTPs, Al-Karkh, Al-Rustamiya Southern, and Al-Rustamiya Northern. The results showed
that the three locations were unsuitable due to limitations in distance from population
settlements, main and secondary roads, and surface water bodies at Al-Rustamiya Southern
and Northern WWTP locations.