The University of Kufa is one of Iraqi universities located in Kufa, Iraq. It was founded on December 23, 1987 of only two faculties; Education for Women and Medicine. Worthy mentioned that the Faculty of Medicine was established roughly a decade earlier and it was affiliated to Al-Mustansiriyah University. In 1989, the Faculty of Arts was initiated consisting of only two departments: History and Arabic Language, and then in 1993 the faculties of Administration, Sciences and Engineering were founded. In 1997, the Agriculture Faculty was established, then the faculty of Pharmacy in 1999. The Faculty of Law was initiated in 2004 on the basis of the law department which was affiliated to Administration Faculty, and in 2006, Nursing, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine Faculties were founded. At the same year, the Faculty of Jurisprudence, found in 1958, was reopened after being closed by Saddam Hussein's regime in 1991. In 2008, the Faculties of Mathematics and Computer, and Physical Education were established followed by Education and basic Education Faculties in 2009, and then in 2011, the Faculties of Urban Planning and Archaeology were founded. In 2013, the department of Political Sciences dissociated from the Faculty of Law and became an independent Faculty. Finally, the Faculty of Languages was established in 2014, after that, the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies was founded in 2017. Thus, the University of Kufa comprises 22 faculties in different majors, and it has 109 departments. The university seeks more achievements and attainments via hard and diligent work to expand the number of faculties and departments of uncommon majors needed in labor market.
In Iraq, solar radiation on building roofs can exceed 1100 W/m2, affecting indoor thermal comfort. This study aims to reduce the heat gain in buildings in hot climates. Thus, it introduces an experimental method to enhance roof thermal performance by integrating phase change material in aluminum pipes within a concrete slab, alongside water pipes linked to a geothermal source at a flow rate of 0.75 L/min. The phase change material used for the current experiments is paraffin with a melting point of 41 degrees C, which was encapsulated in aluminium pipes with dimensions of 2 cm & times; 4 cm and a length of 70 cm. Three roofs models were evaluated: a traditional roof (Model-1), one combining both PCM and geothermal elements (Model-2), and one with an embedded water pipe and geothermal source (Model-3). These models of roofs were placed on identical, dimensionally matched enclosures; each enclosure is 80 cm in length, 80 cm in width, and 100 cm in height. A comprehensive thermal, economic and environmental performance analysis was carried out. The results showed that the highest maximum inner surface temperature reduction was 57.7 % with the Model-2 compared to the measurements obtained from the traditional ceiling. Also, the effect of using phase change material pipes in a slab with a geothermal source was observed as offsetting the temperature by 9 % in the next cycle. Furthermore, reducing the heat gain in the Model-2 resulted in savings in electricity consumption costs and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 0.23 USD/day and 1.83 kg/day, respectively. These findings demonstrate that adding PCM to geothermal systems can improve ceiling performance considerably while providing both financial and environmental advantages.
This research presents Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques that employ static, modal, harmonic, and transient analyses of functionally graded material (FGM) cracked plates, modeled using First-Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT). Crack effects are represented using an equivalent stiffness-reduction method, enabling efficient damage modeling without introducing geometric discontinuities. The study analytically investigates static deflection under concentrated loading, free vibration, harmonic response at resonance, and transient response to impulsive excitation. The primary objective is to predict plate behavior and assess damage history using SHM methodologies, validated by monitoring changes in natural frequencies and dynamic responses of damaged thin plates. Finite element models are developed for cracked steel plates with varying crack lengths and orientations. Results indicate that stress increases with crack length but decreases as the crack orientation aligns more closely with the plate axis (y-axis). Both crack length and orientation significantly influence static compliance, natural frequencies, resonance amplitudes, and transient decay, highlighting the sensitivity of dynamic response parameters to damage severity. The combined use of static and dynamic indicators provides a comprehensive framework for SHM of functionally graded material plates, supporting effective damage detection and integrity assessment. Analytical results exhibit strong agreement with ANSYS simulations, with discrepancies remaining below 1% at a/c=0.01 for all crack angles considered. These findings establish a quantitative relationship between crack parameters and frequency reduction, confirming the model's applicability for vibration-based structural health monitoring of porous FGM plates.
BACKGROUND:Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents a significant global health burden with complex pathophysiology involving chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Systemic inflammatory markers, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have emerged as potential prognostic indicators, while oxidative stress biomarkers such as 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) reflect DNA damage associated with carcinogenesis. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of NLR, PLR, and oxidative stress biomarkers in OSCC patients, investigating the relationship between systemic inflammation, oxidative DNA damage, and antioxidant status in the context of oral carcinogenesis. METHODS:A case-control study was conducted involving 138 participants (82 OSCC patients and 56 healthy controls) aged 28-48 years. Comprehensive hematological analysis was performed using automated analyzers, while serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), 8-OHdG, and vitamin C were quantified using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Statistical analysis included independent t-tests and Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS:OSCC patients demonstrated significantly elevated levels of white blood cells (13.01±4.31 vs. 4.54±7.32 ×109/L), NLR (6.84±0.88 vs. 1.91±0.34), PLR (185.02±40.10 vs. 91.88±17.77), and inflammatory biomarkers, including IL-6 (142.31±5.24 vs. 38.32±6.32 pg/mL) and CRP (43.30±3.42 vs. 8.11±2.21 mg/L), compared to controls (all p<0.01). Oxidative stress marker 8-OHdG was markedly elevated (31.82±2.32 vs. 5.78±1.76 ng/dL, p<0.001), while vitamin C levels were significantly reduced (3.53±2.35 vs. 4.88±2.42 mg/dL, p<0.001). Strong positive correlations were observed between CRP and IL-6 (r=0.544, p<0.005) and 8-OHdG (r=0.386, p<0.007). DISCUSSION:The significant elevations in inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, coupled with their strong correlations with tumor stage, suggest these markers reflect the complex interplay between chronic inflammation and oxidative damage in OSCC pathogenesis. The exceptional diagnostic accuracy of the combined biomarker panel (NLR + IL-6 + 8-OHdG; AUC = 0.995) demonstrates the potential clinical utility of integrating multiple pathophysiological pathways for improved OSCC detection and risk stratification. CONCLUSION:Elevated NLR and PLR values, combined with increased oxidative stress markers and diminished antioxidant capacity, reflect the complex interplay between chronic inflammation and oxidative damage in OSCC pathogenesis. These biomarkers may serve as valuable adjunctive tools for early detection and prognostic assessment in oral cancer management.
Strengthening square reinforced concrete (RC) columns with full ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) jacketing is highly effective, but such complete wrapping is often impractical due to architectural or geometric constraints. Previous studies have not systematically examined the performance of partial-coverage UHPFRC patterns for these sections. This study numerically investigates the axial performance of square RC columns strengthened with strategically arranged UHPFRC elements-including horizontal shortcuts, vertical strips, and hybrid configurations-using finite element analysis in ABAQUS. Key parameters include jacket thickness, element dimensions, column height, and reinforcement details. Results show that a 10 mm full UHPFRC jacket more than doubles axial capacity (+105.9% for 800 mm columns), with significant gains in stiffness. Vertical strips enhance strength but reduce ductility; horizontal shortcuts improve post-peak stability; and hybrids offer a balanced response. With full jacketing, internal steel details have minimal impact on peak capacity, while column height chiefly influences energy dissipation. This work establishes that optimized partial UHPFRC layouts-specifically strips, shortcuts, and their combinations-can achieve tailored performance improvements, introducing a novel, practical, and material-efficient design strategy for strengthening square columns where full wrapping is not feasible.
Graphical abstract showing the effect of local climate and anthropogenic pressure on key water physicochemical properties.Freshwater provides significant ecosystem services, but natural and anthropogenic activities can negatively affect these services by affecting water quality properties (WQPs). The present study focuses on a section of the Euphrates River in Al-Najaf, Iraq, over a 10-month period (December 2018-September 2019) to evaluate whether the water quality complies with the standards for recreational and drinking water safety under local hydrological conditions. A waterproof multimeter and atomic absorption spectroscopy were used to measure some of the main physicochemical variables (total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity, salinity, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, and heavy metals), with Gram-negative bacteria counted. Gram-negative bacteria and sulfates exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limits suggest potential fecal contamination and treatment failure, increasing the risk of waterborne infections. Furthermore, heavy metal concentrations were up to twice the WHO limits on specific sampling dates. WQPs varied significantly over time (p < 0.05), following a seasonal trend and becoming unhealthy as they deviated from WHO guidelines, as follows: winter > spring > summer. An increase in TDS, sulfate, and heavy metal concentrations in winter may reflect a potential increase in wastewater discharge. The results highlight the impact of local climate and the effects of upstream dams on water quality.HIGHLIGHTSSampling time was the main driver affecting water quality properties (WQPs). Some WQPs showed high correlation with water temperature. WQPs become unsafe to be used for domestic purposes in winter. Gram-negative (G-ve) bacteria were not related to any water quality parameters. Water characteristics can change momentarily, showing the complexity of water as a holistic system.
