Diagnostic and Assessment Benefits and Barriers of BIM in Construction Project Management

This paper aims to diagnostic and assessment the benefits and barriers of Building Information Modelling in the construction project management. Both open and closed questionnaire was used to explore the views of a number of Iraqi engineers; in order to investigate the level of BIM implementation in Iraq construction sector. Questionnaire indicated an acceptable awareness of (BIM) in Iraq, especially among the young generation of engineers which indicates the arrival of the evolutionary stream of BIM in the next few years. Moreover, questionnaire showed that the most important advantage of implementing BIM in the Iraqi construction sector was the ability to generate accurate 2D plans at any stage, while the least important advantage was the ability to provide a careful planning of the site facilities, with a relative importance of (82 %) and (33 %) respectively. Furthermore, the most important barrier to its implementation was the unspecified responsibilities for data content, as presented by questionnaire, while the least important barrier was the lack of programs efficiency in data exchange and internal collaboration, with a relative importance of (81 %) and (34 %) respectively

The service required quality ensure model of LTE technology downlink

У статті запропонована математична модель розподілу ресурсних блоків у низхідному каналі зв’яз- ку технології LTE. Запропонована модель спрямована на забезпечення гарантованої якості обслуговування користувачів безпроводової мережі шляхом виділення для користувацьких станцій необхідних швидкостей передачі. Проведено порівняльний аналіз отриманих рішень при використанні різних цільових функційВ статье представлена математическая модель распределения ресурсных блоков в нисходящем кана- ле связи технологии LTE. Предложенная модель направлена на обеспечение гарантированного каче- ства обслуживания пользователей беспроводной сети путем выделения пользовательским станциям требуемых скоростей передачи. Проведен сравни- тельный анализ получаемых решений при использова- нии различных целевых функци

The oscar, Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz, 1831) (Cichlidae): a deliberate aquarium trade introduction in the Euphrates River, Iraq

The first record of a single specimen of oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, native to Amazon basin of Peru, Colombia and Brazil, is reported from the inland waters of Iraq. The specimen was caught from one of the branches of the Euphrates River to the east of the Barnun city, ca. 5 km to the NW of Hilla city in Babylon Province in central Iraq in December 2021 using rod and line. The capture of a sub-adult specimen, 186.7 mm in total length, indicates the first record of another aquarium fish species in the freshwater system of Iraq. The aquarium trade pathway is the suspected factor for the presence of this species in the Iraqi freshwater area

The oscar, Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz, 1831) (Cichlidae): a deliberate aquarium trade introduction in the Euphrates River, Iraq

The first record of a single specimen of oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, native to Amazon basin of Peru, Colombia and Brazil, is reported from the inland waters of Iraq. The specimen was caught from one of the branches of the Euphrates River to the east of the Barnun city, ca. 5 km to the NW of Hilla city in Babylon Province in central Iraq in December 2021 using rod and line. The capture of a sub-adult specimen, 186.7 mm in total length, indicates the first record of another aquarium fish species in the freshwater system of Iraq. The aquarium trade pathway is the suspected factor for the presence of this species in the Iraqi freshwater area

Physical properties of halloysite nanotubes-polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites using malonic acid crosslinked

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) based nanocomposites were produced by blending individualized HNTs dispersion with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Several sequential separation techniques were applied to obtain stable individualized HNTs dispersion. The preparation of PVA-crosslinked-HNTs nanocomposite has not been developed and, to the best of our knowledge, there was no published report indicating the use of neither dispersion nor crosslinker agent. In addition, PVA was crosslinked using the crosslinker malonic acid (MA) and sulfuric acid as a catalyst. This individualization increases the mechanical and thermal properties of HNTs-PVA nanocomposites. As a side result, crosslinking was employed to make PVA water-insoluble and hence to become more useful in biomedical applications. Examination of the nanocomposites indicated that HNTs were uniformly dispersed in both PVA as well as crosslinked PVA. These nanocomposites could be composted easily and hence would be good candidates to\replace some of today’s traditional non-biodegradable plastics that end up in landfills

The Approximation of Weighted Hölder Functions by Fourier-Jacobi Polynomials to the Singular Sturm-Liouville Operator

تم مناقشة دوال هولدر المرجحة التي تحقق تقارب متعددات حدود جاكوبي لمعادلة ستورم- ليوفيل المنفردة من الدرجة الثانية. هذا يتوافق مع تحويلات جاكوبي المعممة ومعايير النعومة. يهدف هذا البحث ويركز على تحسين طرق التقريب وإيجاد أفضل تقريب على هذا النوع من الفضاءات عن طريق تحسين معايير النعومة. علاوة على ذلك، يتم النظر في بعض خواص معايير النعومة والقيود العليا والسفلى لدرجة تقريب الدالة.       In this work, a weighted H lder function that approximates a Jacobi polynomial which solves the second order singular Sturm-Liouville equation is discussed. This is generally equivalent to the Jacobean translations and the moduli of smoothness. This paper aims to focus on improving methods of approximation and finding the upper and lower estimates for the degree of approximation in weighted H lder spaces by modifying the modulus of continuity and smoothness. Moreover, some properties for the moduli of smoothness with direct and inverse results are considered

<em>Echinococcus granulosus</em>

Echinococcus granulosus is also called the hydatid worm, which a parasite that infects humans and animals. It causes zoonotic disease known as echinococcosis (hydatidosis). Adult worms live in the intestines of dogs that are the definitive host. Hydatidosis is known since ancient times and is one of the epidemic diseases that is dangerous to humans in terms of health and economy in most countries of the world. Hydatidosis or echinococcosis unilocular is common in many Arab countries, including Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Palestine, Iraq, and others as well as North, East, and South Africa, Western and Southern Europe, and South America. Studies indicate that the disease is spreading in areas that were previously completely free of it such as North America and Canada. It was also noted that the incidence of the disease in rural areas is close to 50%, and this is due to the large breeding of farm animals and the presence of meat eaters, which helps to complete the life cycle of this parasite, which needs the intermediate host (farm animals and humans) and the definitive host (Canidae)

Thermal-Hydraulic performance in a microchannel heat sink equipped with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) and nanofluid

In this study, the numerical conjugate heat transfer and hydraulic performance of nanofluids flow in a rectangular microchannel heat sink (RMCHS) with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) was investigated at different Reynolds numbers (200-1200). Three-dimensional simulations are performed on a microchannel heated by a constant temperature with five different configurations with different angles of attack for the LVGs under laminar flow conditions. The study uses five different nanofluid combinations of Al2O3 or CuO, containing low volume fractions in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% with various nanoparticle sizes that are dispersed in pure water, PAO (Polyalphaolefin) or ethylene glycol. The results show that for Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1100, Al2O3-water has the best performance compared with CuO nanofluid with Nusselt number values between 7.67 and 14.7, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by values of 0.0219-0.095. For the case of different base fluids, the results show that CuO-PAO has the best performance with Nusselt number values between 9.57 and 15.88, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by 0.022-0.096. The overall performance of all configurations of microchannels equipped with LVGs and nanofluid showed higher values than the ones without LVG and water as a working fluid. © 2020 by the authors

Thermal-Hydraulic performance in a microchannel heat sink equipped with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) and nanofluid

In this study, the numerical conjugate heat transfer and hydraulic performance of nanofluids flow in a rectangular microchannel heat sink (RMCHS) with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) was investigated at different Reynolds numbers (200-1200). Three-dimensional simulations are performed on a microchannel heated by a constant temperature with five different configurations with different angles of attack for the LVGs under laminar flow conditions. The study uses five different nanofluid combinations of Al2O3 or CuO, containing low volume fractions in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% with various nanoparticle sizes that are dispersed in pure water, PAO (Polyalphaolefin) or ethylene glycol. The results show that for Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1100, Al2O3-water has the best performance compared with CuO nanofluid with Nusselt number values between 7.67 and 14.7, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by values of 0.0219-0.095. For the case of different base fluids, the results show that CuO-PAO has the best performance with Nusselt number values between 9.57 and 15.88, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by 0.022-0.096. The overall performance of all configurations of microchannels equipped with LVGs and nanofluid showed higher values than the ones without LVG and water as a working fluid

Arthritis and cognitive impairment in older adults

Adults aged 65 or older with arthritis may be at increased risk for cognitive impairment [cognitive impairment but not dementia (CIND) or dementia]. Studies have found associations between arthritis and cognition impairments; however, none have examined whether persons with arthritis develop cognitive impairments at higher rates than those without arthritis. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated the prevalence of cognitive impairments in older adults with and without arthritis, and examined associations between arthritis status and cognitive impairments. We calculated incidence density ratios (IDRs) using generalized estimating equations to estimate associations between arthritis and cognitive impairments adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, income, depression, obesity, smoking, the number of chronic conditions, physical activity, and birth cohort. The prevalence of CIND and dementia did not significantly differ between those with and without arthritis (CIND: 20.8%, 95% CI 19.7-21.9 vs. 18.3%, 95% CI 16.8-19.8; dementia: 5.2% 95% CI 4.6-5.8 vs. 5.1% 95% CI 4.3-5.9). After covariate control, older adults with arthritis did not differ significantly from those without arthritis for either cognitive outcome (CIND IDR: 1.6, 95% CI = 0.9-2.9; dementia IDR: 1.1, 95% CI = 0.4-3.3) and developed cognitive impairments at a similar rate to those without arthritis. Older adults with arthritis were not significantly more at risk to develop cognitive impairments and developed cognitive impairments at a similar rate as older adults without arthritis over 6 years