Indirect Heamagglutination as An Immunodiagnostic Technique For Cystic Echinococcosis In Iraqi Patients

Background: The aim is to determine the effectiveness of indirect Haemagglutination (IHA) as diagnostic techniques for Cystic Echinococcosis in Iraqi and possible correlation of age and gender in disease occurrence. Patients and Methods: Patients presented with clinical manifestation of hydatidosis (202) were selectively enrolled in this study.  IHA technique using sensitized sheep red blood cells coated with an Echinococcus granulosus antigen was applied. Results: One hundred and one patients (50%) were males, with the mean age (33.50±7. 8) years. The rest were females with mean age (29.78±9. 6) years.  IHA positive cases were (19.3% ) and the reminders (80.7%) were negative .IHA positive  females (22.8%) compared with (15.8%) in males without  statistical significant difference (P Value= 0.212) nor correlation between gender and IHA results (P Value= 0.214)  . The majority of patients belongs to (24-30) years ,( 31-36) years and (18-23) years age groups .Among males, higher number of positive cases at (31-36) years followed by (24-30) years and (49-54) years. Among females, higher number of positive cases at(24-30) years followed by (37-42) years  and (18-23) years. Statistical significant difference (P Value= 0.001) reported between genders according to age group distribution without significant correlation between age group according to gender and IHA results (P Value= 0.268). Conclusion: the IHA consider rapid, reliable and adequate technique that make it possible to process a large number of samples simultaneously and that do not require highly trained technical personnel. Females appear to be more susceptible to CE than male especially in younger age groups. Key words: Indirect Haemagglutination, Hydatidosis, age, gender, Iraq

The Role of Nano Particles Additives on The Wear Properties of Al-Pb alloy

The Al-Pb alloy is one of the important alloys, especially for bearings materials. The main problem of Al-Pb alloy is the difference in melting point and immiscibility between aluminum and lead. In this research mechanical alloying method was used to produce Al- 10%Pb- 4.5%Cu by mixing the constituent in a ball mill under argon atmosphere for two hours at 150 rpm , then it was pressed with different applied loads (44100, 49000, 53900, 58800 and 63700N) and at three sintering temperatures (350, 450 and 550℃). The results show that sintering temperature was  the main factor affecting on the microstructure of alloy. The grain size was reduced with increasing sintering temperature and applied load. The results revealed that the best hardness and compressive strength was obtained with 58800N applied load and 450℃ sintering temperature due to the formation of CuAl2 as well as good distribution of Pb. Alumina in a form of micro and nano particles size resulted in a decline in hardness and wear resistance, while micro Al2O3 improved compressive strength and then decreased at high concentration (2wt. %). The addition of micro and nano SiC resulted in  reduced hardness. Micro SiC improves wear resistance and slightly improved the compressive strength while nano SiC increased to some extent the compression strength and reduced wear resistance. The grains size decreased with the increase of the percentage of Al2O3 and SiC (micro and nano) until 1.5% Al2O3 and 1%SiC addition. X-ray diffraction indicated the formation of new Al-Cu intermetallic compound (Cu9Al4) in the alloy containing Al2O3 or SiC associated with disappears of CuAl2. Keywords: Mechanical alloying, Sintering, SEM, EDS, hardness, compressive strength, Wear.

HUNTING PHENOMENON STUDY OF RAILWAY CONVENTIONAL TRUCK ON TANGENT TRACKS DUE TO CHANGE IN RAIL WHEEL GEOMETRY

A mathematical dynamic model of railway conventional truck is presented with 12 degrees of freedom equations of motion. The presented dynamic system consists of conventional truck attached with two single wheelsets in which equipped with lateral, longitudinal and vertical linear stiffness and damping primary and secondary suspensions. This investigated model governs lateral displacement, vertical displacement, roll yaw angles of each of wheelset and the lateral displacement, vertical displacement, roll and yaw angle of conventional truck. Kalker's linear theory has been adopted to evaluate the creep forces which are introduced on rail wheels due to rail wheel contact. The railway truck mathematical equations of motion are solved using fourth order Rung-Kutta method which requires that differential equations to be transformed into a set of first order differential equations. The transformed state space equations are simulated with computer aided simulation to represent the dynamic behavior and time solution of dynamics of conventional truck moving on tangent tracks. Influences of the geometric parameters of the rail wheel such as wheel conicity and nominal rolling radius on the dynamic stability of the system are investigated. It is concluded that the geometric parameters of the rail wheel have different effects on the hunting instability and on the change of the critical hunting velocity of the system. In addition critical hunting velocity of rail trucks is proportional inversely with the square roots of wheel conicity but high critical hunting velocity obtained by increasing the nominal rolling radius of the rail wheel

The role of augmented reality in revitalizing the tourist space of the built heritage via perception

Successive Technological innovations have provided new possibilities for activating tourism in the built heritage sites. Augmented reality (AR) technology is considered is emerging as one of the technologies witnessing great demand from the authorities concerned with the places of built heritage. Therefore, there is a need to study this technology and its potential to improve the perception of the tourist space in order to activate it in tourism where this topic was not covered in previous studies. The aim of the research is to develop a theoretical framework that explains the perceptual aspect of augmented reality and its role in revitalizing the tourist space of the built heritage. The research thus goes to review previous studies on the relationship between built heritage and augmented reality technology, then it presents the basic concepts about revitalizing the tourist space and the perceptual aspects of augmented reality technology, indicators of the conceptual framework are extracted and discussed. The framework represents a tool in enhancing the design and construction of augmented reality models for the built heritage, as well as the possibility of using it to assess the perceptual aspect of these models with the aim of revitalizing the tourist space

Dynamic analysis of the cutting forces in gear hobbing

The work reported in this thesis has been developed to predict and measure the cutting forces in the gear hobbing process. A review of past research in this area has highlighted the need to adopt a different approach to modelling the process in order to predict the cutting forces. The hobbing process has been described using six different co-ordinate systems and the kinematic relationships between these systems established. A single rack profile has been used to represent the profile of a single cutting tooth from the hob which was then extended to simulate the hob itself. When the hob gashes pass through the cutting region surfaces are generated which, if mapped on a regular grid can give the basis to estimate the depth of cut, i.e. the instantaneous chip thickness produced by that particular tooth. The instantaneous cutting forces generated by that tooth then can be estimated by using the concept of a specific cutting force of the workpiece material. The estimation of cutting forces acting on a single tooth space was used to predict the cutting forces produced during machining of a full gear, by assuming that the forces acting in a particular tooth space are equal to those acting on the adjacent tooth space at an equivalent instant in the cutting cycle. In order to validate predicted results, a Churchill PH1612 hobbing machine was retrofitted with a CNC control system at Newcastle University, utilising a programmable multi axis controller (PMAC). A specially made single toothed gear, and a full gear were machined, and cut on this machine, and the cutting forces measured in real time using a 3-axis dynamometer. The force signals produced by the dynamometer were measured utilising a 12-bit ADC card. Code, written in C, was developed to perform the many functions needed for the overall control of the machine, but additionally was used to capture both the cutting forces and axis position data. The results of the simulation and modelling have shown very good agreement with those obtained experimentally.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

C -Reactive Protein as an Immunopathological Prognostic Marker for Giardia Lamblia and Entamoeba Histolytica Associated Diarrhea among Children of Baghdad Governorate

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the classic acute phase proteins. The study of induction of acute phase reactants synthesis in parasitic infections would aid in understanding the host –parasite relationship.Methods:Seventy three children with parasitic diarrhea that proved through clinical and  microbiological investigation were selected. Thirteen of selected children were infected with G.lamblia and the rest sixty were infected with E.histolytica . Nineteen of the control group was females while the rest eleven were males. Venous Blood were collected from patients and control group for detection of CRP level via latex agglutination test.  Results : The high rate of infection was detected among the age group (19-36) months. The highest level of CRP was (192 mg/dl) while the lowest one was (12 mg/dl) with a mean level (51.20 mg/dl). the mean level of CRP  in control group was (3.7500 mg/dl). positive significant correlations between CRP level and the age of infected children (r=0.290,p=0.013), the chronic infection with G.lamblia and E.histolytica (r=0.760,p=0.000) . Positive significant correlation between the age group and the chronic infection with G.lamblia and E.histolytica (r=0.493,p=0.000) .  Significant difference was detected between the patients group and control group regarding the CRP level (p>0.05).Conclusion: This study proved that CRP level was increased in association with the age and chronic presentation of diarrhea caused by  G.lamblia and E.histolytica and can be used as a non specific immunological marker for monitoring of clinical presentation of G.lamblia and E.histolytica associated diarrheal . Key word: CRP, G.lamblia, E.histolytica, diarrhea

Study the Serum Levels of IL-17, IL-23, TLR-4, and TLR-7 Role in Immunopathogenesis in Patients with Moderate and Severe Psoriasis

Objective: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease* (a disease with an unclear cause that is characterized by inflammation caused by dysfunction of the immune system) that causes inflammation in the body. This study examined the relationship between immunological markers (IL-17 and TLR-4) and several socio-demographic parameters, including age, sex, disease severity, stress, smoking behaviours, BMI classification, and dietary preferences, in patients with psoriasis. Methods: Psoriasis on patients at the Imam Al-Hussein City Hospital in Karbala Province, Iraq, psoriasis from December 2022 to April 2023. The participants were healthy individuals and newly diagnosed, untreated psoriasis patients. Pregnant women, those with chronic conditions, and those receiving psoriasis medication were excluded. A case-control observational study was conducted, using convenience sampling to select participants. The PASI scoring method was used to evaluate four body areas, and the sandwich ELISA method was used for immunomarker analysis. Results: The study found significant dispirited in the severity of psoriasis among individuals, with 54.44% presenting with intermediate symptoms and 45.56% showed severe manifestations. The moderate and severe psoriasis patients were classified into five age cohorts. The severity of psoriasis correlates with age, with those with severe psoriasis being older. Socio-demographic features revealed a greater prevalence of moderate patients than those with severe psoriasis. The study also found a significant association between greater BMI values and severe symptoms, smoking behaviours, elevated stress levels, and higher consumption of processed foods. Immunological markers such as IL-17, IL-23, TLR-4, and TLR-7 were also examined, showed significant variations between control participants and those with moderate and severe forms of the condition. These findings contributed to understanding the determinants impacting psoriasis severity and its clinical implications for patient care and therapeutic interventions. Conclusion: Psoriasis patients make up a significant part of the study population, with higher smoking, stress, and healthy food habits. There was no significant difference in BMI, disease severity. of immunological markers IL-17, IL-23, TLR-4, and TLR-7 showed a significantly increase

C -Reactive Protein as an Immunopathological Prognostic Marker for Giardia Lamblia and Entamoeba Histolytica Associated Diarrhea among Children of Baghdad Governorate

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the classic acute phase proteins. The study of induction of acute phase reactants synthesis in parasitic infections would aid in understanding the host –parasite relationship.Methods:Seventy three children with parasitic diarrhea that proved through clinical and  microbiological investigation were selected. Thirteen of selected children were infected with G.lamblia and the rest sixty were infected with E.histolytica . Nineteen of the control group was females while the rest eleven were males. Venous Blood were collected from patients and control group for detection of CRP level via latex agglutination test.  Results : The high rate of infection was detected among the age group (19-36) months. The highest level of CRP was (192 mg/dl) while the lowest one was (12 mg/dl) with a mean level (51.20 mg/dl). the mean level of CRP  in control group was (3.7500 mg/dl). positive significant correlations between CRP level and the age of infected children (r=0.290,p=0.013), the chronic infection with G.lamblia and E.histolytica (r=0.760,p=0.000) . Positive significant correlation between the age group and the chronic infection with G.lamblia and E.histolytica (r=0.493,p=0.000) .  Significant difference was detected between the patients group and control group regarding the CRP level (p>0.05).Conclusion: This study proved that CRP level was increased in association with the age and chronic presentation of diarrhea caused by  G.lamblia and E.histolytica and can be used as a non specific immunological marker for monitoring of clinical presentation of G.lamblia and E.histolytica associated diarrheal . Key word: CRP, G.lamblia, E.histolytica, diarrhea

The Effect of Forming Temperature on the Microstructure and Stress Distribution for Lead Babbitt Alloy in Hot Backward Extrusion Process

This study aims to modify the microstructure and mechanical properties of Babbitt alloy (ASTM B23 alloy 13). Two casting techniques were implemented to manufacture the alloy; Gravity Die Casting (GDC) and New Rheocasting (NRC) techniques. The microscope examination shows that the structures contained two phases, α-Pb and cubic shaped intermetallic compound (β-SbSn) in a matrix of ternary phases. GDC structure was a dendrite α-Pb phase, while the equiaxed structure was observed via NRC, with remaining β-SbSn phase as a cubic shape. The manufactured Babbitt alloy by NRC has the best compression and yield strength, while the castings produced by GDC recorded lower properties. Backward extrusion was used to improve the properties of alloy 13 produced by two casting techniques. The backward extrusion were carried in the temperature range of 20-100°C.NRC samples showed the highest mechanical properties under all extruded conditions. The enhanced mechanical properties were mainly attributed to the grain refinement. FEM-simulation code DEFORM 3D was used to investigate the stress distribution in backward extrusion process of billet. Highest effective stress exists in the transition area between bottom and wall of the workpiece (punch corner). At the inner side of the wall, stress is higher than at the outer side of wall. Keywords: lead Babbitt alloy, gravity die casting, new rheocasting, backward extrusion, microstructure, mechanical properties, FEM-simulation

Pathogenicity of Beauveria bassiana against the tiger moth Atteva sciodoxa (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae)

Seven isolates of Beauveria bassiona were screened for pathogenicity and infectivity at a concentration of 5x107 conidia mL-1 against Attevo sciodoxa at 27±2°C and 75±5% relative humidity with 12 h photoperiod. Based on screening results, isolates Bba-Pp and FS-11 were further bioassayed at 1 x 106, 5x106 and 1x107 conidia mL-1. All the isolates were found to be pathogenic. However, the infectivity varied significantly among the isolates. The earliest mortality was recorded three days after inoculation, The most virulent isolate, Bba-Pp, caused 100% mortality with a median infective time (ET50) of 3.6 days on day seven following inoculation while FS-11 caused 83,3% mortality with an ET50 value of 4.1 days, Bba-S13 was the least infective isolate with 24.9% mortality and 15.3 days of median effective time. Mycelia appeared on 24 to 48 h old cadavers, The highest level of sporulation on two-week old cadavers was 150.6x105 Bba-Pp conidia mg -1 cadaver while the lowest was 12.23x105 Bba-S13 conidia. The median effective concentration (EC50) of Bba-Pp was 9.89x105 conidia mL-1 while that of FS-11 was 3.85x106 conidia mL-1. The ET50 values 1x106 1x107 conidia mL-1 of Bba-Pp ranged between 7.0 and 4.4 days, respectively, while that of FS-11 were 10.3 and 5.8 days. A strong negative correlation was found between inoculum concentrations and food consumption (R2 = -0.99). The infection by Bba-Pp and FS-11I resulted in 55.8 to 72.5% reduction in food consumption by A. sciodoxa compared to the controls