Iraqi Journal of Science

The presented research aims to manipulate and improve the aging behaviors of concrete composite systems by employing ecologically safe date palm (seeds and husks) waste as a filler. In addition, optimized workability, durability, and erosion resistance properties for the new material were investigated.
The experimental work included the application of different mixing ratios (50/50, 30/70, and 70/30) of husk date/ date seeds to study the enhanced physicochemical behaviors and erosion resistant of bio-waste-concrete composite system exposed to severe temperature conditions (50 ºC) for a time period of 25 days. Optimum results were observed for samples reinforced with the natural filler with a ratio of 50/50 in comparison to the base samples.
In conclusion, good resistance to erosion and creeping thickness appeared at optimum conditions of 250 μm particle size. Also, higher reaction compatibility and less pores between particles were observed, which improved all physical and chemical properties as depicted by SEM images.

New polymers were prepared from a monomer (5-vinyl-1H-tetrazole), which was prepared from acrylonitrile with sodium azide in the presence of ZnCl2.Another monomer (Methyl acrylate) was also used. Co-monomers were polymerized usingBPO as initiator. The second step was the preparation of copoly acid hydrazide from the reaction of compound2 with hydrazine hydrate, followed by the reaction with carbon disulphide in the presence of KOH to obtain copoly (5-subs.-2-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole). Next,compound4 was reacted with chloroacetyl chloride to yield compound4 5 which was reacted with (hydrazine hydrate , phenyl hydrazine and 2,4-di nitro phenyl hydrazine) as shown in scheme(1). Physical properties of all the prepared copolymers were characterized by FT-IR and, in certain cases,by1HNMR spectroscopy.

Anxiety has become a highly paramount field of research attention in psychopharmacology today. Sundry studies have shown a nitric oxide role in the regulation of anxiety. The goal of the study was to investigate sodium nitroprusside ability to affect anxiety-like behavior in mice and to compare this effect with the standard anxiolytic drug, diazepam, using both plus maze test and light/dark box test. The results revealed that sodium nitroprusside at a dose of 1 mg/kg had a significant effect on the behavior in both of the elevated plus maze test and light/dark test. However, at higher dose (3 mg/kg), it has significantly increased the anxiogenic-like effect in the light/dark box test. Diazepam at a dose of 2 mg/kg increased the time spent in open arms in elevated plus maze test and that in light chambers of light/dark test. These outcomes suggest that a nitric oxide pathway seems to play an important role in anxiety. Furthermore, sodium nitroprusside at a dose of 1 mg/kg showed a nearly anxiolytic ability, when compared with diazepam.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is the furthermost common form of DM which is identified by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and relative insulin deficiency. This study aims to detect the role of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in patients with T2DM compared with the healthy control and to investigate the relationship between IL-17 and insulin resistance. The study involved 50 Iraqi T2DM patients, randomly selected with an age range of 33-71 years .For the purpose of comparison, 30 Iraqi healthy persons with an age range of 33-71 years were also included. Patients and control groups were characterized in terms of gender, age, body mass index (BMI), homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),fasting serum glucose (FSG) and lipid profile. The means of IL-17 (368.45 vs. 128.50 pg/ml), HOMA-IR (7.94vs. 2.14),FSG (152.82 vs. 81.53 mg/dl), fasting serum insulin (FSI) level (19.37 vs. 10.71 μIU/ml), Triglycerides (TG), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL),and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) were significantly higher in T2DM patients as compared to controls. While, levels of Total Cholesterol (TC)and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)showed non-significant differences. In conclusion, IL-17 seems to play a significant role as a risk factor for the development of T2DM.Also, higher (HOMA-IR) gives rise to a hyperglycemic state and is a major risk factor for the development of T2DM.

The present study aims to evaluate levels of calcium regulating hormones and some biochemical parameters in a sample of growth hormone (GH) deficient patients. Seventy five GH deficient patients and twenty healthy subjects used as a control group have been involved in this study during their attendance at the National Diabetic Centerfor Treatment and Research /Al-Mustansiriya University. The studied subjects were in an age range of 3-15 years. Blood samples were collected from the studied subjects to determine levels of basal GH,GH2. and GH3 after 60 mins. and 90mins. of provocation with clonidine. The study also included the measurement of the levels of insulin like growth factor (IGF-1); calcium regulating hormones [parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D],and some biochemical parameters [calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), urea, and creatinine].
Distribution of the studied groups according to gender revealed that most of the GH deficientpatients (60 %) were males while 40 % were females,with the difference being statistically significant (P<0.05), while the control included two equal subgroups (50 % males and 50 % females). Distribution of the studied groups
according to BMI values showed that the percentage of underweight was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the patients (48%) compared to the control (10%), while the percentage of normal weight was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the control (85%) as compared to the patients (40%).
The results showed highly significant decreases (P<0.01) in the levels of basal GH, GH2 and GH3 in the patients as compared to the control group. Also, IGF-1 levels showed a high significant (P<0.01) decrease in the patients as compared to the control group.The findings of calcium regulating hormones revealed non-significant differences in the levels of PTH and vitamin D between the patients and the control group. Also, the results of the biochemical parameters (Ca, P, urea, and creatinine) showed non-significant differences in their values between the patients and the control group.
It can be concluded from the present study that GH deficiency (GHD) seems to be dominating in the males under weighted patients. The diagnosis of GHD cannot be achieved at the basal GH level.IGF-1 is a reliable marker of GH functions. Finally, levels of calcium regulating hormones are not affected by GHD.

The current study was designed to investigate the impact of the missense Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), Asn291Ser (c.872A>G: rs12470652), of LHR gene (Luteinizing hormone receptor gene) in peripheral blood samples of Iraqi infertile women diagnosed with premature ovarian failure (POF) and normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(niHH, patients with normal sense of smell). Following the hormonal analysis, fifty women diagnosed with premature ovarian failure and fifty women diagnosed with normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism were included as patient groups, while fifty healthy fertile women were enrolled as a control group. The blood samples were obtained from patient and control groups at Kamal Al-Samarrai Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq through March to December 2018. The genotyping of the SNP (rs12470652) was carried out by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) of the purified genomic DNA obtained from All-cell-pellet (ACP) of blood samples. The frequency of the LHR (rs12470652), p.Asn291Ser minor allele G, was found to be 32% healthy fertile women, 30 % of those with POF (p = 0.879), and 28% in the niHH patients (p = 0.644) Therefore, no statistically significant differences were found. This research aims to study the relationship between polymorphism in the region of LHR gene position: 872 A > G, (Asn291Ser), (rs12470652), and both premature ovarian failure and normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Therefore, the potential influence of (rs12470652) p.Asn291Ser polymorphism on both types of female infertility of an Iraqi population was evaluated. In conclusion, no impact was observed since the conducted study on a sample population of Iraqi women showed that the prevalence of LHR (rs12470652) polymorphisms did not significantly differ in the two infertile patients groups (POF and niHH) as compared to the healthy fertile control group.

A total of 157 clinical samples were collected from different clinical specimens (urine, sputum, blood, swabs, and cannula) from several hospitals in Iraq. Among the samples, 51 isolates (32.48%) of Klebsiella pneumoniae were identified according to morphologicaland cultural characteristics as well as the Enterosystem 18R test. Higher numbers of K. pneumoniae isolates were observed in urine samples (26, 52%) than the other samples, and in females (70.6%) than males (29.4%) (female: male ratio of about 2.4:1). Antibiotic susceptibility of K. pneumoniae against 12 commonly used antibiotics was determined through the disc-diffusion method. The results revealed a higher resistance rate in 51 isolates (100%) against Cephalexin, followed by Ceftazidime (50, 98%), while the lowest resistance rate (24, 47%) was against each of Imipenem and Meropenem. Also, the investigation of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Colistin using E-test (strips) demonstrated that 33 isolates were resistance, as compared to 31 using the disk diffusion assay. DNA was extracted from K. pneumoniae isolates and molecularly tested using polymerase chain technique (PCR) with a specific primer and 108 bp product to detect the rpoB gene that represents this bacteria . Also, all of the 51 isolates of K. pneumoniae identified by the rpoB gene were detected for the expression of the Colistin drug resistance gene mgr-B , which was amplified (347 bp) using a specific primer. Colistin resistance gene mgr-B was amplified and sequenced from the twenty isolates. Only 6 isolates appeared with a single nucleotide substitution; G instead A, A instead G, C instead G and G instead C. Also, this study tested biofilm formation from K. pneumoniae isolates , using the microtiter plate method, in association with Colistin and Carbapenem resistant. The Colistin and Carbapenem resistance pattern was compared to the ability of biofilm-formation as weak formation versus strong and also, Multi-drug resistant isolates were more common among weak versus strong biofilm formers.

Uranium concentration and the annual committed effective dose in some selected medicinal plants commonly used in Iraq have been determined using fission tracks technique etch in twelve medical plants samples using CR-39 track detector. The results show that the uranium concentration ranged from 0.044±0.021 ppm in Thyme sample to 0.2±0.03 ppm in Black Pepper and Cardamom samples with an average value of 0.14 ±0.0 4ppm. The average annual effective dose due to ingestion of uranium radionuclide was 13.77x10 -5 mSv/y, which is below the world average annual committed effective dose of 0.3 mSv/y for ingestion of natural radionuclides.

The solar energy is the major source of power for the future and an important source of renewable energy in Iraq and the world. Suitable climate conditions for solar energy are available in Iraq, especially the high temperature in the summer season which extends for more than six months in the year. Hence, the global solar radiation is abundant with high intensity, which is very essential in applicable models for researchers and solar applications. Therefore, nine first-order regression empirical equations of Angstrom-type correlations were used to estimate the more appropriate global solar radiation model for Baghdad city. Two equations were developed empirically in this work, using the most available and easy to get meteorological data, which is the temperature value in various forms. The results of the comparison between the real and calculated values showed reasonable agreement for most equations (including the development of R2- at 99%) as well as the least values of types of errors RMSE and MBE. As an exception, two equations of models failed in this study because of inability to apply to such climate conditions of Baghdad city.

The utilization of metal oxide nanoparticles, especially zinc oxide, is of a great
importance in the medical field because of its physical and chemical properties as
well as its antimicrobial potential effects. In our study, the ZnO nanoparticles were
synthesized by the precipitation method where pH=14. ZnO nanoparticles were
characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD),
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM).
Antifungal activity of the ZnO was tested against candida albicans. The results
showed that C. albicans (15 samples) became resistant to the fungal activity after
testing its sensitivity to several types of fungal antibiotics. UV-vis spectroscopy,
XRD, TEM and AFM showed that this precipitation synthetic method can produce a
good quality of ZnO nanoparticles with sizes in the range of nanometer scale. In
ZnO NPs (calcined), the inhibition zone diameter of C. albicans was 11 mm at a
ZnO NPs concentration of 800 mg/ml, while no inhibition zones were formed at the
other concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 10, 50 and 500 mg/ml). Using ZnO NPs (not
calcined), the inhibition zone diameter of C. albicans was 24 mm at a concentration
of 800 mg/ml, while no inhibition zones were observed at the other concentrations
(0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 10, 50 and 500 mg/ml). In addition, a toxicity test was performed on
mice and proved that ZnO NPs are effective against C. albicans with a toxic effect
on liver and spleen cells in rats. The aim of this research was to characterize the in
vitro activity of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by the precipitation method against
C. albicans of human male pleural fluid using the well diffusion method as well as
their toxic effects on both liver and spleen cells in mice.

The road network in Surdash anticline is considered as an important road
network connecting lower Dukan town with the touristic upper Dukan town .
Dukan lake plays an important role in the social and economic activities of Dukan
town and the surrounding areas.
For assessing the stability of the rock slopes in the area, 9 stations were selected
along the upper Dukan road on both sides of Surdash anticline, and their stability
was evaluated by the kinematic analysis using DIPS V6.008 software.
Kinematic analysis of the studied stations shows thatplanar sliding is possible in
stations No. 1, 2, 3 and 8, while wedge sliding is possible in station No. 5, 6, 7 and
9b. The other stations (No. 4and 9a) are stable. Tectonic structures played an extra
paradoxical role in the stability of the rock slopes and the type of failure. In most of
the selected stations , the geological structure had a negative role, which supported
or promoted the failure in the study area. However, in few stations , it had a positive
role and converted the slope from unstable to stable conditions. In addition, the
presence of incongruent minor syncline folds, especially in the SW-limb of the
major anticline, led to the occurring of wedge sliding instead of plane sliding.

The presence of natural voids and fractures (weak zones) in subsurface
gypsiferous soil and gypsum, within the University of Al-Anbar, western Iraq. It
causes a harsher problem for civil engineering projects. Electrical resistivity
technique is applied as an economic decipher for investigation underground weak
zones. The inverse models of the Dipole-dipole and Pole-dipole arrays with aspacing
of 2 m and an n-factor of 6 clearly show that the resistivity contrast between
the anomalous part of the weak zone and the background. The maximum thickness
and shape are well defined from 2D imaging with Dipole-dipole array, the
maximum thickness ranges between 9.5 to 11.5 m. It is concluded that the 2D
imaging survey is a useful technique and more effective for determining and
mapping subsurface weak zones (voids, fracture and cavities), when taken in
consideration using the suitable a-spacing and n-factor for each electrode array,
especially with the Dipole-dipole array which provided the best imaging of the
subsurface shape of the weak zones.

Thirty-four dolomite and dolomitic limestone samples were collected from Aqra
– Bekhma (It is difficult to separate the two formations as they are intervening)
Formation in Bekhma Gorge area near Shaqlawa in northern Iraq. Alizarin red - s
was used to distinguish calcite from dolomite. The saddle dolomite was recognized
as a virtually rough crystalline material with milky-white or rosy color when seen in
outcrop. In addition, we observed a pearl luster and a characteristically marred
crystal building that is, in principle, described as damaged crystal faces with
cleavage planes, while microscopically it appeared as a widespread extinction. The
crystal faces, although well advanced, are frequently pavement-like facets.

Groundwater is very important for different uses in the present study area which
represents Jisr Diyala, located in southeastern Baghdad and covered with quaternary
deposits which include the shallow aquifer in the area. Groundwater and surface
water were investigated to determine their suitable uses. The main ion
concentrations of the wet period seemed to be lower than those in the dry period.
According to TDS values, the water is classified as brackish to salty with a high
degree of hardness. Most of water samples were of NaCl type due to pollution with
sewage water and rock-water interaction. The results show that the water of the
study area is suitable for livestock and irrigation purposes only.

This paper is concerned with the study of the T-norms and the quantum logic
functions on BL-algebra, respectively, along with their association with the classical
probability space. The proposed constructions depend on demonstrating each type of
the T-norms with respect to the basic probability of binary operation. On the other
hand, we showed each quantum logic function with respect to some binary
operations in probability space, such as intersection, union, and symmetric
difference. Finally, we demonstrated the main results that explain the relationships
among the T-norms and quantum logic functions. In order to show those relations
and their related properties, different examples were built

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate some results. When h is
 -( ,δ) – Derivation on prime Γ-near-ring G and K is a nonzero semi-group ideal
of G, then G is commutative .

In this work, we study two species of predator with two species of prey model,
where the two species of prey live in two diverse habitats and have the ability to
group-defense. Only one of the two predators tends to switch between the habitats.
The mathematical model has at most 13 possible equilibrium points, one of which is
the point of origin, two are axial, tow are interior points and the others are boundary
points. The model with , where n is the switching index, is discussed
regarding the boundedness of its solutions and the local stability of its equilibrium
points. In addition, a basin of attraction was created for the interior point. Finally,
three numerical examples were given to support the theoretical results.

In this paper, we generalize many earlier differential operators which were
studied by other researchers using our differential operator. We also obtain a new
subclass of starlike functions to utilize some interesting properties.

Examination of skewness makes academics more aware of the importance of
accurate statistical analysis. Undoubtedly, most phenomena contain a certain
percentage of skewness which resulted to the appearance of what is -called
"asymmetry" and, consequently, the importance of the skew normal family . The
epsilon skew normal distribution ESN (μ, σ, ε) is one of the probability distributions
which provide a more flexible model because the skewness parameter provides the
possibility to fluctuate from normal to skewed distribution. Theoretically, the
estimation of linear regression model parameters, with an average error value that is
not zero, is considered a major challenge due to having difficulties, as no explicit
formula to calculate these estimates can be obtained. Practically, values for these
estimates can be obtained only by referring to numerical methods. This research
paper is dedicated to estimate parameters of the Epsilon Skew Normal General
Linear Model (ESNGLM) using an adaptive least squares method, as along with the
employment of the ordinary least squares method for estimating parameters of the
General Linear Model (GLM). In addition, the coefficient of determination was used
as a criterion to compare the models’ preference. These methods were applied to real
data represented by dollar exchange rates. The Matlab software was applied in this
work and the results showed that the ESNGLM represents a satisfactory model.

In this work we study gamma modules which are implying full stability or
implying by full stability. A gamma module is fully stable if for each
gamma submodule of and each homomorphism of into . Many
properties and characterizations of these classes of gamma modules are considered.
We extend some results from the module to the gamma module theories.

In this study different methodological approaches are used and described by
many features (indicators) of complex socio-economic process. Outcome of analysis
has the most reliable and acceptable representation of the studied process specific to
chosen case. In order to solve problems in this area (depending on the situation, case
under consideration), methods from two groups are most often used:
multidimensional comparative analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis. The first
of these cases concern problems at the macro level (socio-economic development,
demographic situation, population's living standards, etc.), in which the decisionmaker's
participation is relatively small (eg the selection of diagnostic variables or
expert assessment). The second of these groups include issues in which the decisionmaker's
participation is significant which are subjective to the decisions taken and
reflects his or her preferences. Among the decision support methods, one can also
distinguish those that have both the characteristics of methods from the area of
multidimensional comparative analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis. The
article presents the combination of both trends exposing maximum possibilities of
using selected methods used in the decision making by Polish schools. The general
methodological assumptions, advantages of having approaches discussed (in relation
to other known methods) as well as the applied aspects (exemplary applications)
also presented.

The main purpose of this paper is to show that zero symmetric prime near-rings,
satisfying certain identities on n-derivations, are commutative rings.

Universal image stego-analytic has become an important issue due to the natural
images features curse of dimensionality. Deep neural networks, especially deep
convolution networks, have been widely used for the problem of universal image stegoanalytic
design. This paper describes the effect of selecting suitable value for number of
levels during image pre-processing with Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform. This
value may significantly affect the detection accuracy which is obtained to evaluate the
performance of the proposed system. The proposed system is evaluated using three
content-adaptive methods, named Highly Undetetable steGO (HUGO), Wavelet
Obtained Weights (WOW) and UNIversal WAvelet Relative Distortion (UNIWARD).
The obtained precision 0.98387, 0.96659 and 0.98387 for the three content-adaptive
methods, applied on BOSS image dataset, respectively. The obtained results show that
number of level equals to 5 outperforms other numbers in terms of detection accuracy.
Also it minimizes the ime required for both training and testing phases.

Nowadays, there are a huge number of video colorization methods. This is
because in the gray scale image one value (gray) must be converted into three
corresponding values (RGB). In this paper, some of these methods have been
presented and discussed. Then, different comparisons have been established between
these methods and the results demonstrate the efficiency of each method

Texture recognition is used in various pattern recognition applications and
texture classification that possess a characteristic appearance. This research paper
aims to provide an improved scheme to provide enhanced classification decisions
and to decrease processing time significantly. This research studied the
discriminating characteristics of textures by extracting them from various texture
images using discrete Haar transform (DHT) and discrete Fourier transform DFT.
Two sets of features are proposed; the first set was extracted using the traditional
DFT, while the second used DHT. The features from the Fourier domain are
calculated using the radial distribution of spectra, while for those extracted from
Haar Wavelet the statistical distribution of various relative moments was adopted.
Four types of Euclidean distance metrics were used for classification decision
purposes. The considered method was applied on 475 classes of textures belonged to
32 sets from Salzburg Texture Image Database, each set holding 16 images per
class, so the a total of 7600 images were tested. Each image was separated into
seven bands of color component (i.e., red, green, blue, and gray….). Concepts of
average and standard deviation were calculated to determine the inter/intra scatter
analysis for each feature to find out the best discriminating features that can be used.
The final result of DHT was 99.98 for the testing sets and 99.71 for the training sets,
while the final result of DFT was 98.63 for the testing sets and 93.74 for the training
sets.