The production of new affordable housing in the Syrian cities : the possible role of procurement processes in improving construction efficiency

Despite the Syrian government’s commitment to provide adequate and affordable housing, through housing programmes implemented over successive five-year development plans, there is still a shortage of affordable homes for low-income people. This shortfall can be attributed to constraints at two basic levels: housing system design (strategic level) and housing system implementation (operational level). Housing policies and construction practices systematically lack the proper strategies and sophisticated approaches for change. In contrast, the UK government has adopted strategic and operational mechanisms for enforcing change in publically-funded projects through a reform agenda (policy package) aimed at creating innovative collaborative relationships between client organisations, and private sector consortia. In this, the procurement processes were seen as a key driver to stimulate change for effective provision of affordable housing. This study aimed to investigate possible efficiency improvements in the affordable housing supply process in Syria, focusing on the role of more sophisticated approaches to project delivery, i.e. the procurement process. Data collected through a literature review and interviews with key informants from both the UK and Syria, forms the basis for a comparative assessment on how lessons learned from the UK experience can be applied in the Syrian context. This study advocates a holistic, top-down process involving the legal, cultural, technical and financial aspects of affordable housing supply and concludes that addressing the Syrian housing deficit requires modification of structural policies, principles and strategies of government intervention to foster collaboration between public and private sectors

Synthesis of Novel (Polymer Blend-Titanium Carbide) Nanocomposites and Studying their Characterizations for Piezoelectric Applications

ان المواد المتراكبة الكهروضغطية مهمة جدا" لتطبيقات عديدة منها: متحسسات الضغط. لذلك تم تصنيع المتراكبات النانوية (بولي فينيل الكحول- بولي فينيل بيروليدون- كاربيد التيتانيوم) ودراسة خواصها التركيبة، الكهربائية، العزلية والبصرية. درس تاثير اضافة جسيمات TiC النانوية على الخواص التركيبية، الكهربائية، العزلية والبصرية للخليط البوليمري. بينت النتائج ان التوصيلية الكهربائية للمتراكبات النانوية (PVA-PVP-TiC) تزداد مع زيادة تركيز جسيمات TiC النانوية عند درجة حرارة الغرفة. اختبار FTIR اوضح عدم وجود تفاعلات بين الخليط البوليمري (PVA-PVP) و جسيمات TiC النانوية. بينت الدراسات العزلية ان ثابت العزل والفقدان العزلي للمتراكبات النانوية يزدادان مع زيادة تراكيز جسيمات TiC النانوية ويقلان مع زيادة التردد. وان التوصيلية الكهربائية المتناوبة تزداد مع زيادة تراكيز جسيمات TiC النانوية والتردد.اوضحت  نتائج الخواص البصرية ان الامتصاصية البصرية  للخليط البوليمري (PVA-PVP) تزداد مع زيادة تركيز جسيمات TiC النانوية. وان الثوابت البصرية تغيرت مع زيادة تركيز جسيمات TiC النانوية. بينت نتائج تطبيق الكهروضطية للمتراكبات النانوية (PVA-PVP-TiC) ان المقاومة الكهربائية للمتراكبات النانوية   (PVA-PVP-TiC) تقل مع زيادة الضغط مما يجعلها مناسبة لتطبيقات الكهروضغطية او متحسسات الضغط.  Piezoelectric nanocomposites are very important for many applications as a pressure sensors. Fabrication of (polyvinyl alcohol - polyvinyl pyrrolidinone -titanium carbide) nanocompos- ites and study their structural, electrical, dielectric and optical properties have been in- vestigated. The effect of adding the TiC nanoparticles on structural, electrical, dielectric and optical properties of polymeric blend has been studied. The results showed that the electrical conductivity of (PVA-PVP-TiC) nanocomposites is increasing with the increase of TiC nanoparticles concentrations at room temperature. The FTIR analysis showed there is no interactions between (PVA- PVP) polymer blend and TiC nanoparticles. The dielectric studies showed the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of nanocomposites increase with the increase of TiC nanoparticles concentrations and they decrease as frequency increased. The A.C electrical conductivity increases with the increase of TiC nanoparticles concentra- tions and frequency. The results of optical properties showed that the optical absorbance of (PVA- PVP) polymer blend increases with the increase of TiC nanoparticles concentrations. The optical constants change with increase in TiC nanoparticles concentrations. The piezo- electric application results of (PVA-PVP-TiC) nanocomposites showed that the electrical resistance of (PVA-PVP-TiC) nanocomposites decreases with an increase of the pressure which make it is suitable for piezoelectric applications or pressure sensors

Constructing a scale for managing high-performance sports organizations using artificial intelligence techniques

The current study addressed one of the most significant issues that faced by high-performance sports organizations, which is not fully benefiting from the applications of artificial intelligence techniques. The main problem of the research was to understand the effect of applying artificial intelligence technologies in the management of high-performance sports organizations and the extent of the contribution of applications of artificial intelligence techniques in diagnosing and addressing administrative and technical obstacles in the departments of sports activity and schooling in the General Directorates of Education in the province of Baghdad, with the aim of achieving high performance. In this context, the main objective of the study was to construct a conceptual framework for the implementation of artificial intelligence techniques in high-performance sports organizations, specifically in the sports and school activity departments of the General Directorates of Education in Baghdad province, as a model. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers followed a descriptive approach with an analytical method that suited the nature of the problem. They also conducted an informal exploratory study in the sports and school activity departments, utilizing a questionnaire as the tool for data collection. The study concluded by developing a reliable scale for the application of artificial intelligence technologies in high-performance sports organizations, consisting of five fields: Expert systems, virtual reality, intelligent agents, information technologies, and process automation. The sample size was chosen to be equal to the population to suit the nature of the research. The validity and reliability of this scale have been confirmed through statistical means, such as Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which amounted to 89.7. The five fields of the scale contained twenty-five items. The relative importance of these items ranged between (63-84%). The highest value of relative importance was 84% for the second item from the expert systems field, which states, (expert systems function as a consulting expert for the upper management in the sports and school activity departments to contribute to making correct decisions), whereas the lowest value for relative importance was for the first item from the virtual reality field, which states, (the use of virtual reality in the sports and school activity departments contributes to the acquisition of diverse skills for the employees and works on developing administrative and technical performance

Biomarker Significance of Serum CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16 in Breast Tumors of Iraqi Patients

قيمت الاهمية الواسم-حياتية لثلاث من الحركيات الكيميائية (CXCL8 وCXCL10 وCXCL16) في مصول 45 من مريضات سرطان الثدي و28 من مريضات ورم الثدي الحميد و20 من نساء السيطرة. واعتمدت المرحلة السريرية وتعبير الورم لمستقبلات Estrogen وProgesterone وعامل النمو الشري HER-2 في هذا التقييم. اظهرت النتائج زيادة معنوية في متوسط CXCL8 وCXCL10 وCXCL16 لمريضات سرطان الثدي ومريضات ورم الثدي الحميد مقارنة بالسيطرة (CXCL8: 47.3 و25.7 مقابل 15.0؛ CXCL10: 37.6 و30.7 مقابل 13.1؛ CXCL16: 27.9 و25.2 مقابل 19.2 بيكوغرام/مل، على التوالي). وكانت زيادة مستوى CXCL8 وCXCL16 اكثر وضوحا في المريضات ثلاثية-سالبة التعبير والموجبة للمستقبل HER-2، على التوالي. اظهر تحليل الانحدار اللوجستي الثنائي اهمية CXCL8 كعامل تنبؤي لسرطان الثدي وان ذلك اكثر وصفا في المريضات ثلاثية سالبة التعبير. وفضلا عن ذلك فقد اظهر تحليل خصائص المستقبل التشغيلية باحتلال CXCL8 مساحة تحت المنحنى قدرها 0.988 في مريضات سرطان الثدي. يمكن الاستنتاج بان CXCL8 ذو اهمية لواسم - حياتي لسرطان الثدي خصوصا عند الاخذ بنظر الاعتبار تعبير الورم لمستقبلات Estrogen وProgesterone وعامل النمو الشري HER-2. وفي هذا الصدد، فان الدراسة تقترح الاهمية التنبؤية للحركي الكيميائي-8 في تطور سرطان الثدي لدى المريضات ثلاثية سالبة التعبير.The biomarker significance of three chemokines (CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16) was evaluated in sera of 45 breast cancer (BC) and 28 benign breast lesion (BBL) patients, as well as 20 control women. Clinical stage and tumor expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PgR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) receptors were considered in this evaluation. The results demonstrated that CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16 showed a significant increased median in BC and BBL patients compared to control (CXCL8: 47.3 and 25.7 vs. 15.0; CXCL10: 37.6 and 30.7 vs. 13.1; CXCL16; 27.9 and 25.2 vs. 19.2 pg/ml, respectively). The increased levels of CXCL8 and CXCL16 were more pronounced in triple-negative and HER-2 positive patients, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that CXCL8 was a significant predictor of BC, and such prediction was more depicted in triple-negative patients. The receiver operating characteristic analysis also revealed that CXCL8 recorded an area under curve of 0.998 in BC patients. In conclusion, CXCL8 is a potential biomarker for BC, especially when ER, PgR and HER-2 expression is considered. In this context, the predictive significance of CXCL8 in influencing BC progression is suggested in triple-negative patients

Wireless Sensor Network Optimization Using Genetic Algorithm

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a high potential technology used in many fields (agriculture, earth, environmental monitoring, resources union, health, security, military, and transport, IoT technology). The band width of each cluster head is specific, thus, the number of sensors connected to each cluster head is restricted to a maximum limit and exceeding it will weaken the connection service between each sensor and its corresponding cluster head. This will achieve the research objective which refers to reaching the state where the proposed system energy is stable and not consuming further more cost. The main challenge is how to distribute the cluster heads regularly on a specified area, that’s why a solution was supposed in this research implies finding the best distribution of the cluster heads using a genetic algorithm. Where using an optimization algorithm, keeping in mind the cluster heads positions restrictions, is an important scientific contribution in the research field of interest. The novel idea in this paper is the crossover of two-dimensional integer encoded individuals that replacing an opposite region in the parents to produce the children of new generation. The mutation occurs with probability of 0.001, it changes the type of 0.05 sensors found in handled individual. After producing more than 1000 generations, the achieved results showed lower value of fitness function with stable behavior. This indicates the correct path of computations and the accuracy of the obtained results. The genetic algorithm operated well and directed the process towards improving the genes to be the best possible at the last generation. The behavior of the objective function started to be regular gradually throughout the produced generations until reaching the best product in the last generation where it is shown that all the sensors are connected to the nearest cluster head. As a conclusion, the genetic algorithm developed the sensors’ distribution in the WSN model, which confirms the validity of applying of genetic algorithms and the accuracy of the results

Classification and Prediction of Bee Honey Indirect Adulteration Using Physiochemical Properties Coupled with K-Means Clustering and Simulated Annealing-Artificial Neural Networks (SA-ANNs)

The higher demand and limited availability of honey led to different forms of honey adulteration. Honey adulteration is either direct by addition of various syrups to natural honey or indirect by feeding honey bees with sugar syrups. Therefore, a need has emerged for reliable and cost-effective quality control methods to detect honey adulteration in order to ensure both safety and quality of honey. In this study, honey is adulterated by feeding honey bees with various proportions of sucrose syrup (0 to 100%). Various physiochemical properties of the adulterated honey are studied including sugar profile, pH, acidity, moisture, and color. The results showed that increasing sucrose syrup in the feed resulted in a decrease in glucose and fructose contents significantly, from 33.4 to 29.1% and 45.2 to 35.9%, respectively. Sucrose content, however, increased significantly from 0.19 to 1.8%. The pH value increased significantly from 3.04 to 4.63 with increase in sucrose feed. Acidity decreased slightly but nonsignificantly with increase in sucrose feed and varied between 7.0 and 4.00 meq/kg for 0% and 100% sucrose, respectively. Honey’s lightness (L value) also increased significantly from 59.3 to 68.84 as sucrose feed increased. Other color parameters were not significantly changed by sucrose feed. K-means clustering is used to classify the level of honey adulteration by using the above physiological properties. The classification results showed that both glucose content and total sugar content provided 100% accurate classification while pH values provided the worst results with 52% classification accuracy. To further predict the percent honey adulteration, simulated annealing coupled with artificial neural networks (SA-ANNs) was used with sugar profile as an input. RBF-ANN was found to provide the best prediction results with SSE = 0.073, RE = 0.021, and overall R2 = 0.992. It is concluded that honey sugar profile can provide an accurate and reliable tool for detecting indirect honey adulteration by sucrose solution