Iraqi Journal of Science

This case control study aimed to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Kisspeptin (KISS1) gene in males with idiopathic infertility and their association with sex hormones and semen quality. The study included a total of 60 infertile and 30 healthy fertile males. Our results show that the level of the measured hormones (LH, FSH, Testosterone, Prolactin and Kisspeptin-54) were higher in the control group than in the male infertile group at p<0.05. We used polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RELP) for the genotyping of KISS1 position rs35431622 (Q36R) KISS1, which showed three different genotypes of different sizes; a wild-type homozygous AA of 233 bp and a heterozygous AG that has digestion products of 233, 161, and 72 bp. The AG was more frequent in the patients group which also had high OR value of G allele (3.105). While for the rs4889 (C/G(, there was a correlation between the CC genotype and the patients group, but it was non-significant. Patients had an OR value of 2.5 for the CC genotype with 95% CI: 0.21 – 29.26, whereas the OR value for the C allele was 1.14 with 95% CI: 0.613 – 2.135. In conclusion, variations in SNPs of the KISS1 gene may be considered as a risk factor for idiopathic male infertility in Iraqi population.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a principle cause of microangiopathy and the main reason for kidney disease at the end stage in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This work aimed to study the relation of pentosidine with kidney injury in the case of diabetic nephropathy. This study included 75 patients suffering from T2DM and 75 apparently healthy subjects. The patients group was divided into three groups ((normoalbumin, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria; 25 patients for each) on the basis of albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) . The level of serum pentosidine was determined using an ELISA kit. The level of pentosidine was found to be significantly higher in DN patients than in the healthy group. Also, the results revealed a strong positive correlation of pentosidine with each of creatinine and blood urea levels, while a negative correlation was recorded with eGFR. It can be concluded that pentosidine may be associated with disease progression and it may be employed as one of the most efficient markers for the prediction of renal function.

A filed experiment was conducted to consider the impacts of bio-fertilizers (Azotobacter chroococcum and Glomus mosseae) and two levels of chemical fertilization ( 50% and 100% of recommended dose) on proline content and activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase) in wheat Triticum aestivum L. cultivar IPA 99 under drought conditions (50% and 20% of soil field capacity). Bio-fertilization involved treatment with A. chroococcum (Azoto) and G. mosseae (AMF), singly or in combination. The experiment was conducted by applying a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results of this study showed that the treatment utilizing Azoto+AMF fertilizer with concentrated chemical fertilizer (100%) significantly decreased proline content and the activities of antioxidant enzymes under drought conditions. In addition, the percentage of mycorrihzal root infection was increased. The lowest values of proline content and catalase and peroxidase activities (3.35 μmole/g, 84.52 unit/ml, 90.90 unit/ml, respectively) were achieved by the application of combined bio-fertilizers with 100% of chemical fertilizer and 50% water deficit. The combined bio-fertilizer application with 50% of chemical fertilizer and 20% water deficit achieved the maximum mycorrihzal infection percentage (90%).

The Order Sphaerocarpales of the bottle liverwort consists of five genera, among which Sphaerocarpos in turn consists of 8-9 species. The genus is nearly worldwide distributed, but disjunct, sporadic, and localized throughout the range in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. According to the published checklist, only two species of Sphaerocarpos were recorded in the middle east countries. These are S. texanus and S. michelii, both were found in Turkey, while only the latter was found in Iraq. By the current study, an additional species, S. donnellii, will be added to the byroflora of the Middle East (south west Asia) region. A specimen of this species was found in Mosul city, Nineveh province, Iraq, grown on loamy soil in a house garden.

The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a worldwide problem. Due to the importance of P. aeruginosa as a multidrug resistant bacterium, this study aimed, through molecular techniques, to detect point mutations in chromosomal genes responsible for the quinolones class of antibiotics resistance. A total of 52 isolates from burn infections were identified using specific primers for P. aeruginosa 16S rDNA. Ciprofloxacin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were estimated using the agar dilution assay. DNA sequences of the quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA and parC were determined for detecting the mutations found in these genes and the relations among the isolates by constructing phylogenetic trees. The results revealed that only 43 (82.7%) of isolates were P. aeruginosa, of which 31 (72.06%) were resistant to different concentrations of ciprofloxacin, ranging between 4 and >32 μg/ml. Twenty six isolates were selected for sequencing, including sensitive, intermediately resistant, and highly resistant to ciprofloxacin. The ciprofloxacin sensitive isolates did not exert any amino acid alterations in gyrA or parC genes; however, a single intermediately resistant isolate had a single mutation at each gene. Of the total resistant isolates (20), 6 isolates had no mutations at different MIC levels, While 14 isolates had Thr-83-Ile substitution in gyrA and Ser-87-Leu substitution in parC, only five isolates had a second mutation, namely Asp-87-Asn, in gyrA. The phylogenetic analysis of the studied groups showed divergence from the P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PAO1OR reference strains due to increased mutations and polymorphisms in studied isolates. In conclusion, P. aeruginosa occurrence was increased in burn infections and the fluoroquinolones in current use are not as effective as before; the main resistance mechanism in local clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa is mutations, where the main target of fluoroquinolones is gyrA gene.

All life stages of the pentatomid stink bug Mustha spinulosa (Lefebrve, 1831) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) collected from several types of trees in Erbil Governorate, North Iraq, along with their morphometrical description, were illustrated. Eggs are barrel in shape, green in color when freshly laid, and usually deposited in clusters that contain 14 eggs each (sometimes 12). Nymphs complete their stage through 5 instars. Head, pronotum, and connexivum of the adults and instars are with pale pink and gray spines; female is slightly larger than male; female is 27.30 mm long and 12.80 mm wide, while male is 25.80 mm long and 11.98 mm wide. Labium proboscis is1.25 ± 0.01 cm long, with brown blackish color. A pair of scent glands are located on the underside of thorax between second and third leg base. All body parts, especially head, thorax, and abdomen are densely covered with setae.

The leading purpose of this work is the development of efficient culture conditions to induce calli from cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) under in vitro conditions. The mature seeds were surface sterilized with combinations of different concentrations of ethanol and NaOCl in different time durations and were germinated on MS basal medium. The results revealed that the best sterilization method of cabbage seeds was by using 70% ethanol for one minute, followed by 15 min in 2% (NaOCl). Seedlings were used as donor sources for hypocotyls, cotyledon leaves, true leaves, and shoot tip explants. These explants were cultured on different combinations of cytokinins (TDZ, BAP, Ad) and auxins (IAA, NAA, 2, 4-D) then implanted in Murashige and Skoog (MS) media. 4 weeks after culturing, a significant difference was found among the explants in response to plant hormones. The maximum percentage of callus induction (100%) was using the combinations of 1 BAP + 1 2, 4-D, 1 BAP + 1 NAA, and 1 BAP + 2 2,4-D mg. l-1. In addition, explants responses varied and the hypocotyls showed a superior result (85.71 %) as compared to other explants. For callus fresh weight, the combination of 0.22 TDZ + 79.9 Ad mg. l-1 had a significant effect, causing the highest fresh weight (0.2745g), while control treatment gave the lowest mean of 0.0066 g. Data showed that cotyledon explants were significantly superior in giving highest callus fresh weight with the mean of 0.1723 g. On the other hand, hypocotyl explants gave the lowest mean, reaching 0.1542 g.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a systemic disease with a substantial impact on the hematopoietic system and hemostasis. Neutrophilia is an early indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection, while lymphopenia acts as a biomarker of the severity of infection, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is the main indicator of cytokine storms. Thus, this study aimed to provide local data about hematological parameters among COVID-19 patients and estimate their correlation with viral load and other factors in severe cases. A total of 99 nasopharyngeal swabs and whole blood specimens were collected from individuals suspected with COVID-19 between October and December 2020. Samples were tested by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay, COVID-19 IgG and IgM antibody tests, beside hematological analysis. The results showed a significant increase in neutrophils count and NLR, correlated with the severity of the disease Patients at older ages who are suffering from some comorbidity like hypertension and diabetes are at elevated risk to develop more severe disease outcome. The findings demonstrated a higher neutrophils count and higher death ratio in older ages. Also, the results suggest that NLR could be employed as a useful biomarker and potential prognostic tool supporting the importance of laboratory records in assessing case severity and disease progression.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a group of intracellular proteins that promote proteins folding and unfolding under normal and/or stress conditions. In addition to their intracellular location, HSPs are found on the plasma membranes of stressed, but not normal, cells and in the extracellular milieu where they can trigger an immune response. For instance, the inducible form of heat shock protein 70 (HSPA1A) was found to be overexpressed, intra or extracellularly, by many types of stressed cells. In our study, we aim to investigate the levels of HSPA1A in the serum of untreated lung tumor patients and its expression in the tissues derived from lung tumors and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and healthy tissues. Analyses of serum and tissue samples were performed by utilizing ELISA assay and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. The results showed significant differences in the mean levels of serum HSPA1A of the patients (1.66± 0.165) as compared to healthy control (0.938±0.330). Significant differences were also found between these levels in the serum of smoker and nonsmoker patients (2.006±0.342 and 1.353± 0.067, respectively). The protein levels in the patient's serum were also found to be 29.5% correlated to smoking history. No significant differences were found in terms of gender and age within the two groups of patients and healthy volunteers. Our results showed HSPA1A protein levels to be correlated to gender (13.5%) and age in patients and healthy volunteers (14.8% and 0.4%, respectively). In the tissues of the clinicopathological groups, HSPA1A was found to be overexpressed in benign (IRS= 8.5) and malignant tumors (IRS= 8.9) in comparison with both COPD (IRS= 4.4) and healthy tissues (IRS= 0.00). Our pilot results could support the suggestion of HSPA1A as a novel biomarker in lung tumors, as proposed by previous studies

The human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) gene plays a critical role in breast cancer development and progression. HER2 overexpression characterizes a biologically and clinically aggressive breast cancer subtype. In this study, 60 samples from Iraqi women with breast cancer were collected and investigated for HER2 protein in the tissue by immunohistochemistry. Also, 20 samples from healthy Iraqi women were used as a control. The results showed that 81 (30 %) patients expressed the HER2 protein. A molecular study for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was conducted on samples metastasizing to lymph nodes. DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify exon 17 and intron 17 of HER2 gene. Sequencing of PCR product was achieved and two SNPs of HER2 gene, one in exon 17 (Ile655Val) and another close to it in intron 17 (rs903506) were studied. In exon 17, SNP Ile655Val was found in 41% of patients, while in intron 17, the non-coding SNP rs903506 was found in 27% of patients. However, no polymorphism was found in the control group. The results may suggest that HER2 gene can be used as a molecular marker for breast cancer.

Some geometric parameters affecting the performance of a wire-plate electrostatic precipitator (ESP) are investigated theoretically. A numerical model was built to investigate the influence of the discharge wire size, wire separation, collector plates spacing, and roughness factor on the ESP performance. The results show that thinner wires emit higher current than larger ones at the same applied voltage, which would be suitable for low voltage power supply to generate the desired current density at the collecting electrodes. The results also show that, as the discharge electrodes get closer, the corona gets suppressed, resulting in a diminished corona current flow. On the other hand, as the distance between electrodes increases, the total current density decreases, leading to a less efficient ESP performance. Narrow spacing between collector plates gives a better performance. With regard to the effect of the roughness factor, the results revealed that the emitted current is strongly affected by the wires physical conditions.

In this work, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were prepared using rf magnetron sputtering on silicon wafer and glass substrates from V2O5 target at 200 °C substrate temperature, followed by annealing at 400 and 500 °C in air for 2 h. The prepared thin films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), forier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-visible absorbance, and direct current coductivity to study the effects of annealing temperature on their structural and optical properties. The XRD analysis exhibited that the annealing promoted the highly crystallized V2O5 phase that is highly orientated along the c direction. The crystalline size increased from 22.5 nm to 35.4 nm with increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C. The FTIR spectroscopy showed the enhancement of the characteristics band for the V2O5 with increasing annealing temperature to 500 °C. The optical study showed that the energy gap for the sample deposited on glass slides decreased from 2.85 eV, for as deposited sample, to 2.6 eV upon annealing the sample to 500 °C. There was a linear dependence between sensitivity and relative humidity (RH) at the range from 25% to 70%, while the behavior was exponential at high RH range

In this paper, we experimentally studied the effects of optical power of semiconductor laser on the electrical properties of silicon diode of an exposed device. The experimental results showed that the laser diode light of different optical powers (2, 3, and 4 mW) had effects on the silicon diode that are somewhat similar to those of thermal treatment. A shift in the current-voltage curve to the left side was also noticed, which led to a non-linear decrease of the barrier voltage of the diode by the effect of laser light. We also reveal a decrease by 344.8 nA/mW in the reverse saturation current of the silicon diode as a result of exposure to laser light. The forward resistance of the silicon diode decreased with increased incident optical power. The value of the maximum current of diode increased by 0.5 A/W with increasing the optical power incident on the diode.

Antimony selenide substituted with Sb0.4Se0.6 and doped with zinc at three doping ratios (x=0, 0.01 and 0.03) was prepared via the solid state reaction method. The three prepared compositions were reacted thermally at 400 °C for 3 h. The structure of specimens was characterised via X-ray powder diffractometer to obtain the type of crystalline structure and lattice parameters of the prepared specimens, which showed a polycrystalline, orthorhombic structure. Optical characterisation was then achieved via UV-visible spectroscopy to exhibit the transmittance and reflectance spectra and estimate the band gap values of the prepared compositions. The samples showed high absorption spectra at low wavelengths (from 60% to 90%) and low reflectance values (from nearly zero to 17%). The band gap measurement showed an indirect transition, with values ranging from 1.2 eV to 1.23 eV. The electrical characteristics were represented by DC resistivity measurement at low temperature and AC conductivity measurement against frequency. The compositions showed a semiconducting behaviour in DC resistivity and compatible results in AC conductivity.

This study shows the effects of copper material electrode, applied voltage, and different pressure values on electrical discharge plasma. The purpose of the work is the application of the spectral analysis method to obtain accurate results of nitrogen plasma parameters. By using the optical emission spectroscopy (OES), many N2 molecular spectra peaks appeared in the range from 300 to 480 nm. Also, some additional peaks were recorded, corresponding to atomic and ionic lines for nitrogen, target material, and hydrogen, in all samples. The electron density (ne) was calculated from the measurement of Stark broadening effect, which was found to decrease with increasing pressure from 0.1 mbar to 0.8 mbar. The higher emission intensities occurred at 0.2 mbar working pressure and were reduced with higher pressure. The vibrational temperature (Tvib) for N2 increased from 0.17 to 0.33 eV with increasing the pressure from 0.15 mbar to 0.2 mbar, then decreased to 0.25 eV with increasing the pressure to 0.8 mbar. Other plasma parameters were studied, which are electron temperature (Te), plasma frequency of electron ( ), and Debye length (λD).

The Yamama Formation includes important carbonates reservoir that belongs to the Lower Cretaceous sequence in Southern Iraq. This study covers two oil fields (Sindbad and Siba) that are distributed Southeastern Basrah Governorate, South of Iraq. Yamama reservoir units were determined based on the study of cores, well logs, and petrographic examination of thin sections that required a detailed integration of geological data and petrophysical properties. These parameters were integrated in order to divide the Yamama Formation into six reservoir units (YA0, YA1, YA2, YB1, YB2 and YC), located between five cap rock units. The best facies association and petrophysical properties were found in the shoal environment, where the most common porosity types were the primary (interparticle) and secondary (moldic and vugs) . The main diagenetic process that occurred in YA0, YA2, and YB1 is cementation, which led to the filling of pore spaces by cement and subsequently decreased the reservoir quality (porosity and permeability). Based on the results of the final digital computer interpretation and processing (CPI) performed by using the Techlog software, the units YA1 and YB2 have the best reservoir properties. The unit YB2 is characterized by a good effective porosity average, low water saturation, good permeability, and large thickness that distinguish it from other reservoir units.

Two-dimensional electrical resistivity imaging and seismic refraction, in the form of down-hole survey, were applied to delineate the subsurface section and elastic moduli and identify geotechnical characteristics of subsurface materials in the 10th of Ramadan industrial area, Cairo, Egypt. The results of four 2-D profiles of electrical resistivity, in the form of dipole–dipole and Wenner configurations, revealed that the subsurface section contains two main geo-electrical layers; the first is made of sand, some silt, and gravels, reflecting low resistivity values ranging from 25 to 65.5 ohm m. This layer is overlying a high resistivity layer (65.5 to135 ohm m), corresponding to medium to coarse sand, with gravel and calcareous materials. It is worth noting that that the down-hole technique was used to measure velocities of P and S waves in order to derive the low strain dynamic elastic properties, such as Poisson’s ratio, Shear modulus, stress ratio, concentration index, N-value, and the ultimate and allowable bearing capacities of the subsurface soil, down to an approximate depth of 30 m in the borehole at the site. In addition, the Vs30 value was calculated and revealed that the soil is categorized as a NEHRP class (D). Furthermore, the results of geotechnical parameters and elastic moduli were found to be realistic and sensible for the purposes of engineering constructions and imply that the soil in the study area is characterized by fairly to moderately competent quality. A new empirical correlation is proposed between the obtained Vs and resistivity values, where Vs = 1.0302 ρ + 172.74.

The density-velocity relation is an important tool used to predict one of these two parameters from the other. A new empirical density –velocity equation was derived in Kf-4 well at Kifl Oil Field, south of Iraq. The density was derived from Gardner equation and the results obtained were compared with the density log (ROHB) in Kl-4 well. The petrophysical analysis was used to predict the variations in lithology of Yamama Formation depending on the well logs data, such as density, gamma, and neutron logs. The physical analysis of rocks depended on the density, Vp, and Vs values to estimate the elastic parameters, i.e. acoustic impedance (AI) and Vp/Vs ratio, to predict the lithology and hydrocarbon indicators. According to the results of physical properties, Yamama Formation is divided into five units in Kf-4 well at Kifl Oil Field. The lithology of Yamama Formation was found to consist of limestone, dolomite, shale, and anhydrite rocks.

The seismic method depends on the nature of the reflected waves from the interfaces between layers, which in turn depends on the density and velocity of the layer, and this is called acoustic impedance. The seismic sections of the East Abu-Amoud field that is located in Missan Province, south-eastern Iraq, were studied and interpreted for updating the structural picture of the major Mishrif Formation for the reservoir in the Abu-amoud field. The Mishrif Formation is rich in petroleum in this area, with an area covering about 820 km2. The seismic interpretation of this study was carried out utilizing the software of Petrel-2017. The horizon was calibrated and defined on the seismic section with well-logs data (well tops, check shot, sonic logs, and density logs) in the interpretations process for identifying the upper and lower boundaries of Mishrif Formation. As well, mapping of two-way time and depth structural maps was carried out, to aid in understanding the lateral and vertical variations and to show the formation of the structural surfaces. The study found that Mishrif thickness increases toward the east, which means that it increases from the Abu-Amoud field in Nasiriyah towards the East Abu-Amoud field in Missan province. The aim of the study is to draw a high-resolution structural image of the East Abu Amoud field in southeast Iraq and to show the types of the existing faults and structures in the study area.

In this paper, we built a mathematical model for convection and thermal radiation heat transfer of fluid flowing through a vertical channel with porous medium under effects of horizontal magnetic field (MF) at the channel. This model represents a 2-dimensional system of non-linear partial differential equations. Then, we solved this system numerically by finite difference methods using Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) Scheme in two phases (steady state and unsteady state). Moreover, we found the distribution and behaviour of the heat temperature inside the channel and studied the effects of Brinkman number, Reynolds number, and Boltzmann number on the heat temperature behaviour. We solved the system by building a computer program using MATLAB.

In this paper, we conduct some qualitative analysis that involves the global asymptotic stability (GAS) of the Neutral Differential Equation (NDE) with variable delay, by using Banach contraction mapping theorem, to give some necessary conditions to achieve the GAS of the zero solution.

Some necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained that guarantee the oscillation of all solutions of two types of neutral integro-differential equations of third order. The integral is used in the sense of Riemann-Stieltjes. Some examples were included to illustrate the obtained results

In the partition theory, there is more then one form of representation of dedication, most notably the Abacus diagram, which gives an accurate and specific description. In the year 2019, Mahmood and Mahmood presented the idea of merging more than two plans, and then the following question was raised: Is the process of separating any somewhat large diagram into smaller schemes possible? The general formula to split e-abacus diagram into two or more equal or unequal parts was achieved in this study now.

This paper deals with finding an approximate solution to the index-2 time-varying linear differential algebraic control system based on the theory of variational formulation. The solution of index-2 time-varying differential algebraic equations (DAEs) is the critical point of the equivalent variational formulation. In addition, the variational problem is transformed from the indirect into direct method by using a generalized Ritz bases approach. The approximate solution is found by solving an explicit linear algebraic equation, which makes the proposed technique reliable and efficient for many physical problems. From the numerical results, it can be implied that very good efficiency, accuracy, and simplicity of the present approach are obtained.

In this paper, the concepts of -sequence prime ideal and -sequence quasi prime ideal are introduced. Some properties of such ideals are investigated. The relations between -sequence prime ideal and each of primary ideal, -prime ideal, quasi prime ideal, strongly irreducible ideal, and closed ideal, are studied. Also, the ideals of a principal ideal domain are classified into quasi prime ideals and -sequence quasi prime ideals.

The idea of the paper is to consolidate Mahgoub transform and variational iteration method (MTVIM) to solve fractional delay differential equations (FDDEs). The fractional derivative was in Caputo sense. The convergences of approximate solutions to exact solution were quick. The MTVIM is characterized by ease of application in various problems and is capable of simplifying the size of computational operations. Several non-linear (FDDEs) were analytically solved as illustrative examples and the results were compared numerically. The results for accentuating the efficiency, performance, and activity of suggested method were shown by comparisons with Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM), Laplace Adomian Decomposition Method (LADM), Modified Adomian Decomposition Method (MADM) and Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM).

Machine learning-based techniques are used widely for the classification of images into various categories. The advancement of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) affects the field of computer vision on a large scale. It has been applied to classify and localize objects in images. Among the fields of applications of CNN, it has been applied to understand huge unstructured astronomical data being collected every second. Galaxies have diverse and complex shapes and their morphology carries fundamental information about the whole universe. Studying these galaxies has been a tremendous task for the researchers around the world. Researchers have already applied some basic CNN models to predict the morphological classes of the galaxies. In this paper, a residual network (ResNet) model is applied for this purpose. The proposed methodology classified the galaxies depending on their shape into 37 different classes. The performance of the methodology was evaluated using the data set provided by Kaggle. In this data set, 61,578 galaxy images are given, which are classified by human eye. The model achieved nearly 98% accuracy.

This paper introduced an algorithm for lossless image compression to compress natural and medical images. It is based on utilizing various casual fixed predictors of one or two dimension to get rid of the correlation or spatial redundancy embedded between image pixel values then a recursive polynomial model of a linear base is used.
The experimental results of the proposed compression method are promising in terms of preserving the details and the quality of the reconstructed images as well improving the compression ratio as compared with the extracted results of a traditional linear predicting coding system.

Computer science has evolved to become the basis for evolution and entered into all areas of life where the use of computer has been developed in all scientific, military, commercial and health institutions. In addition, it has been applied in residential and industrial projects due to the high capacity and ability to achieve goals in a shorter time and less effort. In this research, the computer, its branches, and algorithms will be invested in the psychological field. In general, in psychological fields, a questionnaire model is created according to the requirements of the research topic. The model contains many questions that are answered by the individuals of the sample space chosen by the researcher. Often, these questions are long and tedious, and some questions are repeated and not useful. In this research, we will work on summarizing these forms without effecting their research results; eventually, these steps in the proposed approach will produce better forms. However, it leads to building a method using the Apriori algorithm and Association rule mining which, consequently, applies to each questionnaire from which unnecessary questions are to be removed

The searching process using a binary codebook of combined Block Truncation
Coding (BTC) method and Vector Quantization (VQ), i.e. a full codebook search for
each input image vector to find the best matched code word in the codebook,
requires a long time. Therefore, in this paper, after designing a small binary
codebook, we adopted a new method by rotating each binary code word in this
codebook into 900 to 2700 step 900 directions. Then, we systematized each code
word depending on its angle  to involve four types of binary code books (i.e. Pour
when   0, Flat when 0   30, Vertical when 60  90, or Zigzag).
The proposed scheme was used for decreasing the time of the coding procedure,
with very small distortion per block, by designing small binary codebook, then
rotating each block in it. Moreover, it can be used for improving the efficiency of
the coding process even further with the decrease in the bit rate (i.e. increasing the
compression ratio(.

In the last few years, the literature conferred a great interest in studying the feasibility of using memristive devices for computing. Memristive devices are important in structure, dynamics, as well as functionalities of artificial neural networks (ANNs) because of their resemblance to biological learning in synapses and neurons regarding switching characteristics of their resistance. Memristive architecture consists of a number of metastable switches (MSSs). Although the literature covered a variety of memristive applications for general purpose computations, the effect of low or high conductance of each MSS was unclear. This paper focuses on finding a potential criterion to calculate the conductance of each MMS rather than the whole conductance as reported in the literature. Anti Hebbian and Hebbian (AHaH) learning rules are used to mimic the changes in memristance of the memristors. This research will concentrate on the effect of conductance on an individual MSS to simulate the nanotechnology devices of the memristors. A single synapse is presented by a couple of memristors to mimic its resistance switching. The learning circuit of artificial synapses could be used in many applications, such as image processing and neural networks, for pattern classification of synapses, represented by a map of the memeristors. These synapses are essential elements for data processing and information storage in both real and artificial neural systems.

The current study primarily aims to develop a dictionary system for tracing mobile phone numbers for call centers of mobile communication companies. This system tries to save the numbers using a digital search tree in order to make the processes of searching and retrieving customers‟ information easier and faster. Several shrubs that represent digits of the total phone numbers will be built through following the phone number digits to be added to the dictionary, with the owner name being at the last node in the tree. Thus, by such searching process, every phone number can be tracked digit-by-digit according to a required path inside its tree, until reaching the leaf. Then, the value stored in the node, that represents the name of phone number‟s owner, is returned. Consequently, the amount of memory required to store data will be reduced and data retrieval will be faster.

Diabetes is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a main health problem globally. In recent years, the incidence of Type II diabetes mellitus was increased significantly due to metabolic disorders caused by malfunction in insulin secretion. It might result in various diseases, such as kidney failure, stroke, heart attacks, nerve damage, and damage in eye retina. Therefore, early diagnosis and classification of Type II diabetes is significant to help physician assessments.
The proposed model is based on Multilayer Neural Network using a dataset of Iraqi diabetes patients obtained from the Specialized Center for Endocrine Glands and Diabetes Diseases. The investigation includes 282 samples, of which 240 are diabetic and 42 are non-diabetic patients. The model consists of three main phases. In the first phase, two steps are applied as a pre-processing for the dataset, which include statistical analysis and missing values handling. In the second phase, feature extraction is used for diabetes Type II using three main features, reflecting measurements of three blood parameters (C. peptide, fasting Blood Sugar, and Haemoglobin A1C). Finally, classification and performance evaluation are implemented using Feed Forward Neural Network algorithm. The experimental results of the performance of the proposed model showed 98.6% accuracy for diabetes classification.

In this research, an investigation for the compatibility of the IRI-2016 and ASAPS international models was conducted to evaluate their accuracy in predicting the ionospheric critical frequency parameter (foF2) for the years 2009 and 2014 that represent the minimum and maximum years of solar cycle 24. The calculations of the monthly average foF2 values were performed for three different selected stations distributed over the mid-latitude region. These stations are Athens - Greece (23.7o E, 37.9 o N), El Arenosillo - Spain (-6.78 o E, 37.09 o N), and Je Ju - South Korea (124.53 o E, 33.6 o N). The calculated values using the two tested models were compared with the observed foF2 datasets for each of the three selected locations. The results showed that the two tested models gave good and close results for all selected stations compared to the observed data for the studied period of time. At the minimum solar cycle 24, the ASAPS model showed in general better values than the IRI-2016 model at Athens, El Arenosillo and Je Ju stations for all tested methods. At maximum solar cycle 24, the IRI-2016 model showed higher and closer values to the observed data at Athens and El Arenosillo stations, while the ASAPS model showed better values at Je Ju station.

Deriving land cover information from satellite data is one of the most common applications employed to monitor, evaluate, and manage the environment. This study aims to detect the land cover/land use changes and calculate the areas of different land cover types in Baghdad, Iraq, for the period from 2015 to 2020, using Landsat 8 images. The supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) method was applied to classify the images. Four land cover types were obtained, namely urban, vegetation, water, and barren soil. Changes in the four land cover classes during the study period were observed. The extent of the urban, vegetation, and water areas was increased by about 7.5%, 9.5%, and 1.5%, respectively, whereas the barren soil area was decreased by about 18.5%. This study shows that the MLC classifier is a very effective method to map land cover classes.

There are many events that took place in Al Mosul province between 2013 and 2018. These events led to many changes in the area under study. These changes involved a decrease in agricultural crops and water due to the population leaving the area. Therefore, it is imperative that planners, decision-makers, and development officials intervene in order to restore the region's activity in terms of environment and agriculture. The aim of this research is to use remote sensing (RS) technique and geographic information system (GIS) to detect the change that occurred in the mentioned period. This was achieved through the use of the ArcGIS software package for the purpose of assessing the state of lands of agricultural crops and forests. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) were adopted in the current calculations. This can help the decision-maker take the necessary measures to avoid the problems caused by the emergency events. The results obtained through this research showed that the region had rate changes in farms, water, and forests of about 1%, as it was found that there was a decrease in the level of the Tigris River and an increase in the area of carrot crop farms. Also, the results indicated a decrease in areas of agricultural crops in specific regions, while they increased in others.

The Fuzzy Logic method was implemented to detect and recognize English numbers in this paper. The extracted features within this method make the detection easy and accurate. These features depend on the crossing point of two vertical lines with one horizontal line to be used from the Fuzzy logic method, as shown by the Matlab code in this study. The font types are Times New Roman, Arial, Calabria, Arabic, and Andalus with different font sizes of 10, 16, 22, 28, 36, 42, 50 and 72. These numbers are isolated automatically with the designed algorithm, for which the code is also presented. The number’s image is tested with the Fuzzy algorithm depending on six-block properties only. Groups of regions (High, Medium, and Low) for each number showed unique behavior to recognize any number. Normalized Absolute Error (NAE) equation was used to evaluate the error percentage for the suggested algorithm. The lowest error was 0.001% compared with the real number. The data were checked by the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to confirm the quality and the efficiency of the suggested method, where the matching was found to be 100% between the data of the suggested method and SVM. The six properties offer a new method to build a rule-based feature extraction technique in different applications and detect any text recognition with a low computational cost.